IWP is pleased to announce that IWP student Abhimanyu “Manu” Trikha is this year’s recipient of the Thomas C. Atwood Scholarship for Academic Excellence.
The Thomas C. Atwood Scholarship is given to a student who exemplifies passion and commitment to IWP’s mission and service to the broader community.
The Atwood Scholarship, established in 2018 by Eileen Atwood, commemorates her late husband Tom’s life and achievements at IWP, which capped a long career dedicated to America’s Founding Principles based on a commitment to life, liberty, and the pursuit of true happiness. During his time at IWP as Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Tom and his team created and fostered the growth of the Chancellor’s Council, established annual Chancellor’s Council events, and supported the development of regional Chancellor’s Councils. Tom spearheaded IWP’s Silver Anniversary Campaign, along with IWP Vice Chairman John Lovewell, who was Chairman of the Campaign. The Campaign tripled the amount of funds raised by IWP in any previous two-year period and ultimately enabled IWP to buy our campus.
Manu is an M.A. candidate in the Statecraft and National Security Affairs program at IWP. He comments: “I am grateful for the patronage of the Atwood Scholarship and am honored to have the legacy of Thomas Atwood grace my life story.”
Manu graduated from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) with a B.A. in History and a Minor in English. While at VMI, he was an active volunteer cadet, from an administrative consultant for the Cyber Security Club to S-3 for New Cadet Military Training to a lead actor in the VMI Theatre Company.
After graduating from VMI in 2014, Manu served seven years with the 91st Cyber Brigade, Virginia Army National Guard, while simultaneously working a variety of positions in the private sector. Among other duties, he traveled to the Commonwealth of Virginia, assisting judicial, educational, and municipal enterprises in assessing their vulnerability to intrusion and sabotage. He was awarded Best Hack at Cyber Shield 2018. Later, the Citizen-Soldier magazine recognized Manu for his work in the June 2018 issue: Protecting the Nation One Network at a Time.
Manu also served as a range administrator at Fort Meade, providing warfighters the secure space necessary to test solutions to U.S. Cyber Command’s pressing mission demands.
Realizing he wanted to continue service disciplined by cutting-edge technical and political intelligence, Manu enrolled at IWP in the Fall of 2021 in the Certificate of Cyber Statecraft and then transferred to the M.A. program.
He says, “I worked my way into full-time status, learning to thrive in this rigorous environment, challenging preconceived notions of world affairs and what it means to craft insightful work.”
At IWP, Manu has been an active Student Ambassador, serving as a key volunteer at several important school events.
In addition, Manu participated in IWP’s Oxford Study Abroad Program, a four-week tutorial at the University of Oxford in England on the campus of New College.
After graduating this December, Manu intends to continue to apply himself at the nexus of policy and the next generation of the digital horizon.
He comments: “Though my time at IWP is due to end at this year, it catalyzed a critical mind and honed instincts gained from the military into an ambitious plan worth working for the rest of my life.”
“Our supporters see IWP as a cause. Many of our supporters are highly accomplished people who have built companies or served our nation at high levels and recognize the importance of IWP as their opportunity to give back. They see IWP as a vital part of helping our country and defending and restoring our founding principles.”
-Thomas C. Atwood