Coming out of my research internship with IWP, I have made valuable connections, gained a much clearer understanding of my future career goals, and developed skills that will aid me in getting where I want to be. I’ve known for a long time that I want to work for the government and serve America, which is why I study history and law at the University of Maryland. However, my exact “plans” didn’t go much further than that, as I had no idea about the many different ways I could get involved.
My favorite part of IWP was the wide variety of experienced career professionals who would come speak to our cohort every week. They spanned different government agencies, departments, and sectors – yet all shared similar interests and passions. Every speaker I talked to had an interest in hearing my story and genuinely wanted to help me succeed. I can’t put a quantifiable value on the advice I received this summer, and I feel like I have a much clearer understanding of what I plan to do with the rest of my time at the University of Maryland in order to reach careers that previously felt unattainable.
Axis and Allies at IWPAdditionally, my experience exploring the technological feasibility of the Golden Dome as a research intern for Dr. Matthew Jenkins taught me a lot about exploring unfamiliar environments in a professional setting. As an incredibly recent and relevant topic, my research exposed me to a new side of open-source intelligence that I never would have interacted with otherwise.
I also greatly enjoyed the graduate-level class that I was permitted to take during my internship with the rest of my cohort. The course was Professor McCranor’s Western Moral and Political Thought – and although I was nervous about it at first, it turned out to be extremely fun. I found the writings of figures like Aristotle and Machiavelli fascinating, and exploring the implications of their wisdom and how they influence the modern day was really thought-provoking.
Jack Greenwood
Research Intern
University of Maryland, Class of 2027
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The Space Research Team