IWP President Amb. Aldona Wos with Carol KornworcelIf you had told me six months ago that I would have applied to a graduate school internship program because of a Facebook ad, I would not have believed you. But if it weren’t for that advertisement, I would have never learned so much about my career interests and myself.
This past summer, I worked as a research intern for Dr. Joshua Muravchik, an adjunct professor at IWP and the longest-tenured faculty member apart from Dr. Lenczowski. Working with Professor Muravchik was an eye-opening experience where I researched various “hot topics” related to the Israel-Hamas war. In particular, I focused on the Hamas Media Office tactics in Western news channels, Islamophobia, and a deep-dive analysis of the 2024 college encampments. Researching the encampments, in particular, was challenging, but it allowed me to engage with those who participated in the protests and learn more about what happened on their campuses and why it matters to them. Alongside my co-research intern, Jackson Jones, we researched and analyzed over 32 colleges’ encampments, compared administrative responses and reactions, and examined campus demographic changes since 2011.
Carol at the Department of JusticeAside from researching, my department support responsibilities included working at the registrar’s office for Iman Riddick. Interns Brandon Fedock, Brian Ellis, and I worked on organizing and digitizing all documents in the IWP registrar storage since 1991. While this task may sound dull, it was fulfilling to complete a seemingly never-ending project.
As part of the intern responsibilities, we got to visit various think tanks and federal offices during the summer. One trip that I enjoyed not only attending but organizing was our visits to various embassies in D.C. After being in contact with multiple counselors, we visited the Moroccan, Hungarian, Chilean, and Portuguese embassies to learn about bilateral relations and public diplomacy. My favorite was the Moroccan embassy visit, as we had the opportunity to meet with a Cultural Attaché from Morocco to the U.S. and have our questions about U.S.-Moroccan relations answered. Coordinating various opportunities to engage with diplomatic officials has been a highlight and learning experience for which I am so grateful.
I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to learn from professionals and expand my understanding of foreign affairs this summer.
Carol S. Kornworcel
IWP National Security and International Affairs Research Intern, Summer 2024
From Brandeis University
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