PersiaWhen I first started at The Institute of World Politics, I felt completely underqualified. Before the internship had even officially begun, my first task was to speak on a panel about the unrest in Iran. I was asked to speak on transitional plans, proxy violence, and the importance of this issue to U.S. national security. I remember thinking, how am I, an undergraduate, supposed to speak in front of national security professionals, the IWP President, faculty, and graduate and doctoral students in Washington, D.C., as if I am an expert? It felt intimidating, almost unreal. But at the same time, I knew I had something substantial to say. It was just a matter of stepping into that room, trusting the people who put me there, and believing in myself. That moment pushed me into a level of confidence I did not feel ready for, but only after speaking did I realize I actually was.
That realization set the tone for the rest of my experience.
Throughout the internship, I was constantly pushed outside my comfort zone, but that first experience helped me embrace the discomfort rather than resist it. It has not gotten easier. If anything, it has become more challenging. At the beginning, I was learning how to research, brief, and keep up.
Then, tension in Iran escalated, and in the middle of the internship, war broke out, and everything intensified like never before. The work was no longer just a theoretical exercise or something academic for me. It became urgent, emotional, and personal. Navigating that while still being expected to perform at a high level forced me to grow quickly. I admit, I am still learning how to stay focused while processing everything that is happening at the same time.
Simultaneously, something shifted in me after our first briefing session. I stopped questioning whether I belonged in the room and started focusing on how I could actually contribute. Through incredibly valuable constructive criticism, I learned how to take complex information and communicate it succinctly, the significance of body language, and, more importantly, a specific gap in the Iran issue. So many are focused on politics, economics, and mainstream media, but there is a whole world of humanitarian issues that are being almost completely overlooked. This internship showed me how much work there is to do within the national security space, especially when it comes to human rights.
The IWP National Security Internship has so much to offer. Not only has it pushed me, exposed me to incredible networks, and shown me some of the most interesting federal sites in D.C., but it has also given me something rare: clarity.
I came in feeling like I was not ready, and I am leaving knowing that growth does not come from feeling ready. It comes from stepping into situations that force you to become ready. This internship did that for me. It showed me the dark and mysterious world of national security and government is not something to be feared, but to be embraced. It gave me experiences that grounded me and ultimately helped me see I am exactly where I need to be.
Persia
Pepperdine University, Class of 2027
Research Intern