Francoise Castro graduated with a bachelor’s degree in linguistics from UCLA. During college, she worked as a hotel auditor on Catalina Island, interned at a casting agency in Hollywood, worked with Cirque du Soleil, did work study at the UCLA Physics Library, and worked in the radiology department at the UCLA Medical Center.
Ms. Castro began her career in the government with the Department of State when she served as a passport specialist at the Los Angeles Passport Agency from 1998 to 2004. During this time, she was selected to participate in year-long programs such as the Federal Executive Board’s (FEB) Leader Associates Program (LAP) and in the Department of State’s Civil Service Mentoring Initiative Program.
In 2004, Ms. Castro was invited to become a Peace Corps volunteer. As a volunteer, she lived and worked in Mozambique (Africa) as a health volunteer focusing on HIV/AIDS prevention from April 2004 – June 2006. She was paired up with an international nongovernmental organization (NGO) called Population Services International (PSI) and served as a Provincial Communications Agent. Also during her Peace Corps service, she served as a provincial warden and as Volunteer Advisory Council (VAC) president.
In 2006, Ms. Castro returned to the United States and took on a job as a public affairs assistant in Peace Corps’ Mid-Atlantic Regional Recruitment Office in Arlington, VA. In 2008, she transferred to Peace Corps’ Headquarters in Washington, DC to serve as a diversity specialist. During her term at Peace Corps Headquarters, she was selected to participate in Peace Corps’ year-long Leadership Development Academy.
In 2010, Ms. Castro returned to the Department of State to serve as a program analyst in Passport Services’ Acceptance Facility Oversight Division – Northeast Region. She transferred to the West Region with her dog, Peanut.
