Shawn Taylor at IWP Commencement“The one thing I would tell anyone thinking about applying to IWP is to do it. Chase your dreams ferociously.”
– Shawn Taylor (’21)
A Scientific Applications Specialist with an undergraduate degree in International Studies and specialization in Chinese politics, language, and history, Shawn Taylor came to IWP towards the end of his 20-year career serving in the U.S. Air Force. During his studies, he designed and tested satellites that contributed to U.S. intelligence capabilities. Now, he works for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s college, where he oversees all the training on how to collect geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) from our satellite network. In these courses, he has implemented a discussion-focused teaching style learned at IWP.
Here, Shawn discusses his time in the Air Force, his pivot from engineering work to curriculum management, and his studies at IWP.
Detecting nuclear weapons
Shawn first became involved with the U.S. Air Force after high school. “The Air Force offered me a contract and a career,” he said. “They told me I would be a geophysical scientist (later renamed to scientific applications specialist to capture the wide breadth of duties and knowledge requirements). I decided to go to boot camp and learn about it!”
Little did Shawn know that he had joined one of the elite fields for enlisted airmen. “I got to learn chemistry, physics, nuclear radiation – anything STEM-related,” said Shawn. He soon was an enlisted scientist for the Air Force.
His mission was to detect nuclear treaty compliance around the world. He was part of a small team: there were fewer than a couple hundred personnel in the world working on this project at the time.
Delving into the liberal arts
Although Shawn began his undergraduate studies in nuclear physics, he switched to international relations to accommodate his growing interest in learning Chinese. Shawn notes, “Around 2007, China was rapidly growing and expanding their reach in so many areas. I saw the value of learning their language, political system, and culture.”
When he graduated five years later (due to deployments), Shawn wanted to continue studying foreign relations. While stationed in Dayton, Ohio, he started looking for relevant M.A. programs.
“Almost every program I found had no real practical applications,” he said. “I kept searching and searching. Then in 2014, I found the IWP website. Finally, I found a program that largely matched my own intellectual curiosity.”
He wished he were in D.C. so that he could study at IWP. Later, during a deployment to the Middle East, he decided to ask the Air Force to move him to Washington.
A new career in the Air Force: Satellite imagery
The Air Force said that they could not directly use Shawn’s skillset in the D.C. area, but they would figure out a job where his abilities might be applicable.
“That’s when I got into satellite imagery,” said Shawn. He already had a strong understanding of math and physics, and he soon was trained in the technical aspects required to collect imagery from satellites.
After mastering his new job, he was ready to start his master’s degree.
Knowledge for knowledge’s sake
Shawn felt that he wanted to pursue his master’s for its own sake. “Even if I never used the M.A., I wanted the knowledge for its own sake,” he said. He was the first person in his family to earn a bachelor’s degree, much less a Master of Arts in Statecraft and National Security Affairs, and at first, the program seemed intimidating. It was certainly difficult.
“I had a lot of 18-hour days,” said Shawn. He would go to work at 5:30 AM, leave by 5:00 PM, and be in class until 10:00 PM. It was the most intense M.A. program he had seen anywhere, outside of the medical field. “I was motivated,” he said, “I moved to the D.C. area for this school! It was worth it.”
During his program, many of his classes were taught in a discussion-style format. Shawn remembers being invited to share his own experiences in the military as they pertained to the subject at hand.
At IWP, Shawn said, “You will work harder, academically harder than anything you have worked on before. But you are getting value out of that work. You are learning career skills, life skills, and communication skills, and anything worth having is worth putting in the work for.”
The IWP education applied to GEOINT work
During the course of his studies at IWP, Shawn retired from the military and started working at a defense contractor designing and testing next-generation satellites that would contribute to future intelligence requirements. The insights he gained at IWP contributed to the solutions he helped to develop for current and future national security concerns.
IWP also helped Shawn hone his critical thinking and research skills. Despite the increasing capabilities of AI, our national security community still needs professionals with the ability to think critically, plan, research, and write.
“One of our professors used to ask us what our ‘X factor’ was,” said Shawn. “Is it the ability to think critically about the future? Not everyone out there is willing to stand up and ask why or why not.”
He remembers: “I was able to utilize lessons learned in IWP classes in multiple job interviews for highly technical positions. When asked what value my degree from IWP would hold in a scientific- and engineering-heavy field, I was able to reply with examples from Professor Santoli’s classes (as well as many others at IWP). This type of out-of-the-box thinking resulted in multiple career offers over more technically skilled candidates.”
Implementing the IWP style at NGA
Shawn became an instructor for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), teaching military and civilian analysts how to collect geospatial imagery from our satellite network.
After several years as an instructor, he was offered a job as a federal civilian with the NGA, and he began managing and developing the collegiate-level curriculum for all the courses that teach analysts how to request geospatial data from satellites. In this role, he oversees the training in this area for GEOINT professionals collecting GEOINT from our satellite network.
“At IWP, it was interesting how the professors often took on a role facilitating discussion instead of just lecturing,” said Shawn. “They would manage and guide the conversation, but the students were leading the learning. I found that to be a good adult-centered learning mechanism, and we incorporate that method into the courses at NGA.”
Instead of lecturing with slides, the NGA professors teaching the collection curriculum now facilitate discussions, and the students offer their insights and background knowledge.
“It has worked really well to date,” said Shawn. “There is no better way to understand the material than to have to explain it yourself.”
Shawn asks to close with this message: “During, and after your time at IWP, there will be distractions, competing priorities, family requirements, work schedules, and other issues that will vie for your time and attention. If you want it badly enough, and are willing to put in the work, IWP will move mountains to help you find success. That is one of the vital points I found exceptional about the staff, students, faculty, and support personnel at IWP. If I can make it happen, there is nothing stopping you either!”
Shawn and his family