My personal career objective is to work for the federal government or become an ambassador. Since the inception of my internship at IWP, I knew this higher education institution could help me achieve this goal.
As a senior at George Mason University, in order to attain my goal, I knew I needed to apply to IWP’s graduate program in International Relations and Statecraft to compete with other candidates in my field of study. The foundation of Washington, D.C.’s academic environment is graduate schools like IWP. Before I began my internship at IWP, I knew little about how much graduate school would differ from my undergraduate experience. After attending an open house event in December 2018, I knew IWP was where I wanted to intern and, eventually, apply to graduate school.
Through the course of my internship, I worked on the Cyber Security Team with our mentor, Dean Lane. The skills I acquired while interning at IWP are invaluable in regards to Cyber Security, Cyber Terrorism, Artificial Intelligence, and Quantum Computing. My focus was researching how Cyber Security and technological advancements in Artificial Intelligence are impacting one another and the repercussions of that.
Furthermore, I was responsible for analyzing my findings into an academic paper with fellow interns. Thus, I had the opportunity to expand my knowledge on topics which are so relevant within the International Relations and National Security fields. Mr. Lane helped us stay on track and provided years of knowledge about these subjects to support our work. All my efforts paid off when our research paper was published, and I got the chance to showcase my academic research collaboration and writing skills. I am tremendously grateful for this opportunity, and I am glad to have had such a wonderful mentor like Mr. Lane to guide me through this process at IWP.
One of my favorite aspects of my internship at IWP was connecting with other interns, faculty, and staff. It was rewarding to help organize and set up for events. I had never had the opportunity to coordinate events previously, so it was exciting to gain more knowledge and a different set of skills.
Additionally, the Career Services department at IWP was helpful for thinking about my future and deciding my career path. Towards the beginning of my internship, Mr. Derrick Dortch, the head of Career Services, hosted an event for interns to narrow down where we would like to work and the steps to reach our career goals. All in all, my internship experience at IWP has been unique and geared towards my field of study, and it has ignited my passion for International Relations and National Security.
Donyae Johnson
Spring 2019
