IWP student Joe Pauloski grew up in Pennsylvania, and never considered a career in international affairs until he took a class on this topic at DeSales University. He was fascinated by the complex, evolving web of relationships between different countries, peoples, and cultures.
Intrigued, he began to dig deeper. He started taking other classes in the field, and began reading a book on international relations that emphasized ethical realism. When Colin Parks and Dr. David Klocek from IWP visited his school at the invitation of Joe’s professor Dr. Andrew Essig and echoed these same ideas, Joe became interested in pursuing graduate studies at the Institute.
He visited IWP, decided it was the right fit, and began to prepare for his graduate studies. He became heavily involved in his school’s newly-formed national security club, serving first as Secretary and later as its President. He also began to network through the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO). He is now enrolled in IWP’s master’s degree program in Statescraft and National Security Affairs, and plans to get a double specialization in Intelligence and in Public Diplomacy and Political Warfare.
He just survived exams from his first semester at the Institute, and is planning on taking an even more ambitious course load next semester: Military Strategy with General Jajko, Technology, Intelligence, Security, and Statecraft with Prot. Poteat, Twentieth Century Politics and Diplomacy with Prof. Tierney, and Intelligence and Policy with Prof. Thomas.
He also has big plans for next summer. After studying the Turkish military via a research paper for Dr. Chodakiewicz’s class this fall, Joe has decided that he is going to visit Turkey for an intensive language study and in order to learn more about the culture. He has not yet been out of the country, so he is looking forward to both personal and professional growth through this experience.
In the meantime, Joe is working at IWP’s recruitment office, where he is able to articulate to prospective students the experience he is having at IWP. In particular, he shares with them that IWP has been helpful both on several levels. On the academic side, professors have “practiced what they preach.” On the personal and professional side, professors give concrete examples of how these principles have played a part in history, and how they are applicable in current international situations. For instance, when learning how culture can play a major part in communication between nations, one of the examples Joe remembers from class is that there was no Russian word for “compromise.” This made negotiations with the Soviet Union very difficult at a critical point in our nation’s history.
In the future, Joe plans to either join the Army or pursue a career with the U.S. government. Either way, he says, his IWP education will have prepared him well.