IWP Interns, Summer 2010
Rachel Abdoler is entering her senior year at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri, where she is pursuing a degree in International Political Science with an emphasis in Middle Eastern affairs, as well as a minor in Global Perspectives for the 21st Century. She has studied the Arabic language for two years and will begin her third in the fall. Prior to her time at the Institute of World Politics, Rachel was an intern at the Missouri Attorney General's Office, where she gained insight on the inner workings of the Missouri legal system and the responsibilities associated with it. She hopes one day to pursue a graduate degree in international conflict analysis and resolution. Rachel chose the internship at the IWP because of the intellectual rigors required of its participants. "Of all the internships available in Washington DC, the position at the Institute of World Politics was by far the most academically focused, given the strenuous research aspects the program requires. The IWP has offered
me a rare opportunity to gain graduate-level research experience as a current undergraduate student."
Ashley Cedeno is currently attending California State University, Northridge and is pursuing a double Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Linguistics. She has lived abroad in Italy and England, and attended a French school in order to practice her French. She is currently fluent in Spanish, and is minoring in Russian. She is also currently a part of California Young Democrats, and has written articles for her school magazine including Teen Life in various countries, and is an outdoors enthusiast. She plans to use her IWP internship in order to gain experience in her field of interest, and hopes to be working in diplomacy and aiding in overseas humanitarian work.
Christopher Charnetsky is a resident of Franklin Square, New York. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Long Island University and is currently in his final year at Hofstra University School of Law. He will be graduating with a concentration in International Law and National Security Policy. During his law studies, he penned an article discussing the constitutionality of various U.S. covert action programs. Prior to entering The Institute of World Politics, he served as a legal intern at the Department of Justice in the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. He also interned for the United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. During his time at the Department of Homeland Security, he worked directly under the Assistant Chief Counsel assigned to the National Security Division. He decided to intern at IWP for the opportunity to work closely with IWP's highly regarded faculty and to further his knowledge of the national security and intelligence communities.
Victoria Cwyk is a recent graduate of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, where she majored in International Relations and minored in French. She spent two previous summers working in DC for the Junior Statesmen Foundation and is excited to spend yet another summer in this wonderful city. She decided to intern at IWP because she recognizes the importance of learning the tools of statescraft and likes the Institute's emphasis on acquiring practical knowledge. She hopes that the internship will help her explore different career paths in the field of international affairs.
Jack Gilliland is a recent graduate of the University of Birmingham, England, where he read Political Science with a focus on International Relations. At the height of the recent financial crisis, he was interning at Citigroup, Inc. in New York City, via the Mountbatten Institute, which is dedicated to establishing reciprocal educational and business links between the United States and the United Kingdom. He is interning at IWP this summer as part of the Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow Program and is looking forward to learning from the many experts associated with the Institute, as well as to the opportunity to acquire graduate level research experience, and to engage the perspectives of his fellow interns. Jack plans to begin studying for a graduate degree in the next few years and in the meantime intends on broadening his experience by working in the private sector.
My name is Brad Kelly. I am a recent graduate of The Catholic University of America having received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Philosophy and Medieval History. The focus of my senior thesis was an 11th century Islamic Spanish writer Muhammad Ibn Hazm and his work Tawq al-Hamama. I'm hoping that my time at the Institute of World Politics will provide me the education and experience of modern international politics and policy to build upon my prior knowledge of history and foreign cultures. I plan to attend graduate school in the near future for a graduate degree in International Affairs and know that IWP will be the perfect stepping stone and start on the path to higher education and a career in the political arena.
Philip Lengel has just completed his fourth year at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he is working toward a double major in International Affairs and French. Upon graduation in May 2011, he also will have earned a minor in Economics and a certificate in International Management. Philip came to the Institute of World Politics through The Fund for American Studies' Engalitcheff Institute on Comparative Politics and Economic Systems, for which he is receiving six credit hours at Georgetown University in addition to the internship opportunity at IWP. He has attended a French language intensive study abroad program in Paris and has interned for two semesters in Georgia Tech's Technology in International Development lab under Dr. Michael Best. His interests lie in the areas of foreign policy, intelligence, and economics, and he is very excited about the opportunities, perspectives, and connections that the Institute fosters in these fields.
Caroline Lewis is a freelance writer from Dallas, Texas. In 2009, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Southern Methodist University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History with Departmental Honors and minors in Political Science and Medieval Studies. She also holds memberships to Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Alpha Theta, The Golden Key Honor Society, The National Society of Collegiate Scholars and others. Caroline has served as an intern, guest and periodic co-host for Point of View, a nationally-syndicated radio talk show. She has also been a guest and visiting co-host on several other radio programs. She hopes to gain both experience and perspective on foreign policy issues during her summer internship at the Institute of World Politics.
Brad Lovett is entering his senior year at Hillsdale College, pursuing a degree in American studies. Originally from Amarillo, Texas, he is enjoying the sense of community available from the Institute while living in DC. The summer internship at IWP has allowed Brad to at
tend classes that compliment his major, ranging from historical and political issues, as well as encouraging his own research and writing outside his usual academic environment. The Institute has allowed him to meet professionals and fellows students and interns who have given him direction towards his intended career in diplomacy and international affairs.
My name is Jacob D. Mecum. I am a recent graduate of Portland State University of Portland, Oregon. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology and minored Political Science. My first introduction to Washington D.C. was in 2007 when I interned with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Violent Crime Unit). In 2008 I returned and interned at the Defense Intelligence Agency (Arms Transfer Division), and in 2009, I interned with the United States National Central Bureau of INTERPOL(Fugitive Division). In addition, I have worked with the U.S. Senate via U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley's office in Portland, OR.
I have always held a strong interest in federal law enforcement, and I hope one day to work within that field. I believe that the Institute of World Politics holds a premier position in which to advance my knowledge of national security, intelligence and statecraft, and I hope to learn all that I can this summer. I hope to attend graduate education soon within Washington D.C., and due to IWP's curriculum and staff, I hold a great interest in attending IWP. As a member of the Coquille Indian Tribe of Oregon, I take pride in the knowledge that every time I have returned to D.C. I have taken steps both to protect my country and to honor my tribe. I believe that my experience with IWP will help me to accomplish both.
My name is Shawn Platz. I run cross country and indoor/outdoor track for Monmouth University in Long Branch New Jersey, where I also participate in Model UN and the school Debate team. I attended Red Bank Catholic High School, where I was cross country & track team captain and a member of the National Honor Society.
Caitlin Plowfield is currently pursuing a degree in Religion at the University of Florida, and plans to graduate in 2011. At her IWP internship, she hopes "to gain a broad knowledge base about the national security community and to develop a network of national security and intelligence professionals who can guide me towards my ideal career. I am beginning my exploration of a career in intelligence, and therefore hope to learn about the U.S. Intelligence community and discover what endeavors I need to pursue in order to be an asset to the intelligence community during my career."
James Redlinger is a senior at Christendom College, where he is earning a B.A. in Political Science. He is interested in going to graduate school and earning a Master's degree in Strategic Intelligence and wants to pursue a career in the intelligence field. He finds that, "The Institute intern program provides invaluable opportunities to meet people and listen to edifying speakers. This experience has helped me to understand the career opportunities in Washington and how I can better prepare myself to make a career in the Washington area."
Stephanie Schultz is finishing her final semester at Patrick Henry College and plans to graduate in December 2010 with a B.A. in history. She is currently participating in the Strategic Intelligence program at her college and is interested in pursuing a career within the intelligence community after graduation. Stephanie was attracted to the scholarly environment at the Institute of World Politics, and hopes to refine her research skills and expand her understanding of the various aspects of statecraft and national security during her internship. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Stephanie is also looking forward to the opportunity provided by the internship to explore the D.C. area.
Jared Stancombe is a 2009 graduate of Indiana University, where he received his B.A. in political science with honors. His studies focused on complex military operations and foreign policy in Central Asia and the Near East. He is currently employed by the US Department of Homeland Security, where he holds a number of positions, including an intelligence research analyst and management analyst. He has also taken classes on national security law at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service--Center for Peace and Security Studies. He is also a member of the World Affairs Council of Washington, DC and is an active member of the Young Professionals in Foreign Policy. Jared is currently applying to the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidate School, where he hopes to serve as an infantry officer.
Piotr Trabinski was born and raised in Warsaw (Poland). He is now graduating on the Law faculty of The University of Warsaw. For almost all of his life, he was involved in a boy scouts organization (Zwiazek Harcerstwa Rzeczypospolitej), and now he is the Commandant of a district in Warsaw. He is also responsible for the training of future scout instructors, and involved in few other non-government organizations in Poland.
For last five years, he has been working in various areas, including media (he was redactor and TV presenter in one of the programs for youth), public relations and telecommunication. Since 2009, he has been working in one of the biggest Polish banks as a higher specialist of organization and development.
Piotr is interested in history, law and economics, and policy, and he came at IWP to broaden his horizons and to get particular knowledge in the fields of democracy building, intelligence, foreign affairs and national security.
John Lenczowski