I remember how happy I was when I learned I would be an events and communications intern at IWP. As a sophomore who decided to take a semester off of school due to the pandemic, I was trying to find other ways to fill my time. I had no plans for the next few months, and interning at a graduate school specializing in international affairs, national security, and intelligence seemed like a good option. Little did I realize just how impactful my time at IWP would be.
I had access to opportunities no other internship could have given me. I had the chance to speak with former ambassadors, attend intelligence seminars with experts in the field, audit a class taught by a professor with an impressive national defense background, and take advantage of IWP’s career services. The staff makes sure you are aware of all these opportunities from the very first day you start your internship, and they actively encourage you to take advantage of these resources.
Of course, getting to work with the IWP events team was the highlight of my experience. They are some of the most welcoming individuals that I have ever had the chance to work with. I looked forward to our biweekly meetings and hearing what the team was working on. No matter how small the project I was working on, I always felt appreciated by the staff, and the events team made me feel like a valued member of the group. It was truly amazing how much they cared about my internship experience. They were constantly telling me about different resources IWP offered to its interns. They sent me email reminders about events they thought I would be interested in, connected me with IWP alumni, and put me in touch with other students who had the same interests as me.
That sense of comradery is what I will miss the most about my time at IWP. Due to the small size of the school, there is truly a special sense of community. You will get to know the other interns through lecture lunches and virtual happy hour events, and you will have the opportunity to connect with IWP alumni and students who share the same interests as you.