As I was heading into the last year of my undergraduate degree studying Forensic Psychology at Arizona State University, I was very fortunate enough to discover a program that would send a select number of students to Washington, D.C., to partake in an internship and attend a Policy Design class every Friday afternoon. I was more than thrilled to apply. Once I found out I was accepted into the program, I was responsible for finding my own internship.
Here is where I discovered The Institute of World Politics (IWP); this was such a fantastic find as I am a forensic psychology major planning to pursue a career in a three-letter agency within counterintelligence. IWP’s primary focus is National Security and International Relations, which would be a perfect place for me to learn information and gain invaluable advice from the faculty and staff, with a majority of them being practitioners with extensive and impressive credentials.
Within this internship, we were assigned a research advisor at the beginning of the program and would conduct research on a topic throughout the semester.
I had the wonderful opportunity to be assigned Shane McNeil, who is a Doctoral Student at IWP and a Counterintelligence Policy Advisor at the Joint Staff Deputy Directorate for Counterintelligence and Human Intelligence at the Department of Defense (DOD). Our topic covered the psychological perception of AI using different terminologies in the military context; it is a fascinating topic that explores such a broad and new field in the world, especially in the military. Another intern and I were partnered to develop and conduct surveys from the public and military personnel.
The IWP research internship was an excellent opportunity for me to explore different avenues in the Intelligence Community and gain firsthand knowledge from people from all different backgrounds in the government. A specific quality I really appreciated in this internship was the briefings that we did on intelligence and policy. These assignments were huge for my own personal and professional growth.
Overall, my experience at IWP has been invaluable. I have gained immense knowledge and connections from the staff, faculty, and students.
Emilee Thompson
IWP Research Intern, Spring 2025
From Arizona State University