Sitting in her office at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for International Policy, Ingrid Vaicius reflects on the path she took to a job that is seemingly perfect for her.

“I’ve always had a keen interest in policy and politics and knowing how things work,” said Vaicius, who is from Colombia, South America. “As a Colombian, I’ve always wanted to help the people in my country and make a difference in their lives.”

At CIP, an educational and research organization that promotes a U.S. foreign policy based on international cooperation, demilitarization and respect for human rights, Vaicius works as the Colombia Associate. In that role she focuses on legislative strategies, media outreach, supporting human rights and monitoring military aid to Colombia, a nation plagued by a prolific drug trade and more than 40 years of armed conflict.

Fighting still rages today in Colombia between three powerful entities: the Colombian government; the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a Marxist guerrilla group formed in the 1960s; and various paramilitary forces (AUC). The paramilitary groups emerged as a response to the lack of government presence and a need to fight the guerrillas. Initially they were supported and trained by the Colombian military, but after human rights abuses by these groups began to escalate, they were declared illegal. However, they were never really disband and have evolved into an equally violent independent entity

All sides, Vaicius said, have engaged in brutality, intimidation and human rights abuses, as well in the widespread cocaine trafficking that tarnished Colombia’s image in the 1980s and 90s.

According to Vaicius, American economic aid to Colombia – initially targeted to fight the drug trade – continues to flow into the country at a rate of “about two million dollars a day. About 80 percent of that is military aid – for things like hardware, helicopters, guns and training for the armed forces. The remaining 20 percent is for social and economic aid,” she said.

Raised in the capital city of Bogota and educated at the American School there, Vaicius left after one year of college and transferred to American University in Washington. There, she majored in International Relations and took advantage of the abundant opportunities a Washington education affords students in her field.

“I only applied for internships at places where I was keen to the ideals of the organization,” she recalled. “[The Center for International Policy] was a place that caught my eye.”

Vaicius interned with CIP’s Cuba Project in 1996 and its Latin America Project in 1997. When that ended, Adam Isaacson, her mentor at CIP and current supervisor, told her about the New Voices Fellowship and urged her to apply. CIP was looking to initiate a Colombia project and wanted Vaicius to lead it but had no budget to hire her. When her fellowship was approved, it was a win-win situation. “It’s obvious to me that I couldn’t have been hired by CIP without the New Voices Fellowship,” she said.

Bilingual and politically savvy in both cultures, Vaicius comments frequently on Colombian issues in the print and broadcast media. In one noteworthy February 2002 appearance, she appeared on CNN’s “Wolf Blitzer Reports” to discuss the kidnapping of Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, who had been abducted by the FARC. Vaicius provided political and historical context about the abduction.

“Having grown up in Colombia, I think I have a unique understanding of the history, the politics and overall context of the situation.” she said.

Another issue about which Vaicius has raised awareness is the controversial fumigation of coca crops – the raw material for cocaine . In an effort to curtail trafficking of the drug, the United States has backed Colombia’s use of airplanes to spray a powerful herbicide over thousands of acres of land – a practice that has threatened Amazon rain forests and wildlife and the health of Colombian citizens.

“It has had an incredible environmental impact,” said Vaicius, who took the issue to Capitol Hill lawmakers by bringing in Colombian citizens to speak about it.

Although Vaicius tries to remain optimistic about peace in Colombia, she concedes she doesn’t see it in the near future. Should it happen, however, she would consider returning. “There must be a way for me to apply that knowledge to make a positive impact in Colombia,” said Vaicius, who retains her Colombian citizenship. “I don’t see it happening right away, but in the long run it’s the least I can do.