The IWP Internship Experience: Grace Sullivan

During my time at The Institute of World Politics, I have been exposed to an abundant environment filled with a diversity of perspectives all dedicated to finding sustainable long-term solutions to the most pressing issues facing national security.

As a rising junior at the University of Notre Dame studying Global Affairs, Peace Studies, and Gender Studies, I felt drawn toward living in D.C. for the summer to be exposed to potential careers in foreign affairs. IWP offers the unique opportunity to experience all D.C. has to offer while engaging in graduate-level coursework, supporting departments in the graduate school, and conducting research with an IWP professor. This unique balance allows interns to discern which interests they would like to pursue both academically and professionally: an experience that is not only unique to the IWP internship program but also extremely fulfilling for people interested in working in this field.

I had the privilege of executing research for IWP Director of Media Development & Production Sebastian Smeureanu during my internship experience. With a team of interns, we all worked on researching the current sociocultural, political, and economic implications of the Abraham Accords in the Middle East. We all developed a different medium with our research in the areas we focused on. My area of research focused on the public perception within the regions signed to the Accords and the economic implications and repercussions. As an aspiring journalist interested in journalism focused on the curation of global foreign policy-focused media, this research complemented my regional and professional interests perfectly.

The most formative aspect of my internship experience was the opportunity to take Dr. Caitlin Schindler’s course on Public Diplomacy. As previously stated, my combined interest in journalism and foreign policy has been effectively nourished and further developed throughout this experience, and this class was a huge part of that. Before this class, I did not have any knowledge about public diplomacy and its significance in international affairs. Not only did this course expand my interest in countries’ perceptions and relationships with one another, but it also introduced me to an entirely new area of interest in the realm of public diplomacy. The severe lack of establishment and execution of public diplomacy in the United States was a problem I have always noticed but not had the words to explain. This class provided me with the vocabulary I needed to discuss this important issue while exposing me to different global perspectives and operations of public diplomacy by other countries which altogether reaffirmed my deep fascination with the spread of information and its direct impact on the perception of foreign countries.

Another highlight of my experience was the opportunity to attend Foreign Policy Magazine’s conference during the NATO summit in D.C. Not only was it an extremely unique experience in itself to witness the 75th NATO summit while being in D.C., but it was also a great opportunity to hear diverse perspectives on NATO. With other experiences such as touring the Pentagon, various embassies, and think tanks, it is difficult to talk about just one highlight.

My time at IWP has been deeply formative in discerning my future academic and career interests while providing me with a rich D.C. experience. It is difficult to summarize the impact this experience has had on me and the inspiring peers, faculty, and professionals I have been exposed to, all of whom share the same goal of improving the state of the world and international affairs.

Grace Sullivan
IWP National Security and International Affairs Research Intern, Summer 2024
From the University of Notre Dame

Learn More About IWP Internships