Internship
Near East South Asia Center

Where are you from? Why did you choose JMU?

I am from Afghanistan, but I was born and raised in Russia until my family moved to the US. When I visited JMU during my senior year of high school, JMU genuinely felt like home and a place where I could see myself grow and be happy. I also got a chance to talk to a few JMU alumni, who encouraged me to seriously consider going here. 

Why did you decide to participate in Washington Semester? 

In high school, I researched different programs offered at JMU and Washington Semester was one of the programs that came up. It is then that I decided that I would apply to this program. It was an excellent way to challenge myself and learn about my abilites and limits. A full time internship as a full time student is a great experience to highlight on my resume. The program gave me first-hand look and opportunity to further learn about the possibilities that are available to me after graduation. 

What were the highlights of your internship? 

Due to DoD's protocol on COVID, my internship was hybrid. A lot of meetings and conferences were held online. One of the conferences that I attended online and took notes on, I later used in my class papers to support my arguments. Fortunately, we also had a few in-person events. We hosted foregin officials to disucss topics on international politics, security and defense. During one of the visits, I was able to attend dinner hosted by the Tunisian Ambassador. 

What advice would you offer to future Washington Semester students? 

(1) Put your all into the internship! This is a great way to gain a strong recommendation letter of even a job opportunity. People notice the effort and hard work. (2) Try to make a few strong connections, instead of many weak ones. This is advice my chort got from a Washington Semester alumni.  A lot of JMU alumni are based in DC, try to meet them and learn about thier experience. (3) Enjoy your time in the city! There's always something to do in DC. Never ending list of museums, exhibits, festivals, events, etc. 

What are your long-term career plans? 

I am unsure of what the future holds for me, but I am hoping to go into consulting to furhter strengthen my experitse while broadening my knowledge in other subject matters. In the process, I'd like to continue with my education.