This past fall, I had the pleasure of interning for two people: Dr. Susan Yoshihara, adjunct professor and founder of the American Council on Women, Peace, and Security, and doctoral candidate Shane McNeil.
Under Dr. Yoshihara, I helped her research how China is using family policy to persecute women in general but the Uyghur population, in particular. Specifically, I focused on the coverage international agencies have given and continue to give to the Chinese “family policy” of forced abortions and sterilization. Additionally, I helped update sources for an upcoming Women, Peace, and Security class at IWP.
Under Mr. McNeil, I helped conduct some early research on women in espionage, looking for cases when women were caught conducting espionage and how and why they differed from men who have been caught conducting espionage.
In addition to my research responsibilities, I supported the internship department headed by Missy Pratt and two other interns, Mark Hausman and Abigail Pearl. I also volunteered for many of the events that IWP hosted, from our Gala at the Library of Congress to lectures and presentations hosted at IWP, such as when we hosted a lecture by Mike Pence.
Aside from my research and department support, we had the opportunity to visit many different agencies, from the Department of Justice to the Pentagon and many more, and speak to some current and former IWP students and alumni who work at these agencies. It was a great opportunity to learn from them what it is like to work in those places and what opportunities are available at these agencies. The Department of Justice was my favorite, as we got to have a discussion with Dr. Curt Klun and some of his colleagues about what they do there and the important work that the DOJ and the various agencies associated with it do.
Lakota Paul
IWP Research Intern
From American University, class of 2024