Finding Your “Baby”

For my junior year I was selected as a member of the W&M in Washington 2014 Fall Scholars Program, where I spent the semester studying the international political economy of change. While there I was also working full-time as a research intern at the College of International Security Affairs – National Defense University, and visiting and learning about a variety of organizations supporting international development including the World Bank, U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Senate Subcommittee meeting chambers, the Library of Congress, and others. My semester in DC helped me to develop as a professional through living and working experiences in the city, a priceless opportunity. This is the single most impactful thing I have had the chance to experience in my college career, and I encourage everyone to apply and try it out for themselves!

I am currently a part of the W&M ITPIR Peace & Conflict Studies e-Internship Program in its first year at the university. This opportunity allows me to work in support of the security industry in conjunction with W&M in a research and writing capacity. I currently work for the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) and Ft. Eustis, for whom I am writing a strategic intelligence brief on Russian aggression and hegemony in the Caucasus region. This is a fascinating opportunity — to actually be involved in supporting our troops and training here in the US, but gain some understanding of a region that is crucial in contemporary politics.

This is just a minuscule taste of the opportunities W&M has to offer you — it is hard to find a student here on campus without a fantastic off-campus opportunity they have taken advantage of and made into their own ‘baby.’ Dig around on our website to learn more and find the perfect ones for you! Feel free to share below if you have any potential “babies” in mind!

-Dominic Burkett ’16