51³Ô¹ÏÍø

[Moderator] Hi, I'm Dr. Megan Hauser. I'm a lecturer here at the University of North Georgia. Every semester a fair number of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø students, due to their hard work both inside and outside the classroom, are selected to participate in a number of conferences and seminars across the country, such as the Alexander Hamilton Institute, the Cox- State Department Diplomacy Seminar, and the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress.

I've asked several of these exceptional students to share their experience with you here today.

[Lexi Whitney] I'm from Charlotte, NC. I went to Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte and I've been at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø for four years now studying political science with a Spanish minor.

[Mason Goad] Hi, my name is Mason Goad. I'm from Athens, GA. I'm a Strategic & Security Studies major here at the University of North Georgia, concentrating on foreign languages.

[Kat Torres] Hi, My name is Kat Torres, and I am a junior at the University of North Georgia. I am a first-generation college student and first-generation American. And I am a political science major. I graduated from Mill Creek High School from Hoschton, GA.

[Brianna Clay] I'm originally from Macon, GA. I grew up in, in South Georgia. When I was in middle school I moved to Swainsboro, Ga and started attending David Emanuel Academy which is where I graduated from.

[Jenna Patterson] My name is Jenna Patterson. I am a graduate of Fannin County High School in Blue Ridge, GA. And I am currently in the master's program in international affairs  here at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø.

[Dr. Hauser]  What did your participation mean to you and your future?

[Jenna] One of the most exciting parts of the entire trip was being able to meet with NGOs that we usually don't get a chance to talk about. Meeting with ones like CIPE, which is the Center for International Private Enterprise or a meeting with a government organization like the TSA, allows us to see what might be the best fit for us moving forward as professionals in the world.

[Kat] The seminar itself was a way to really professionally develop myself for a, any career in political science first of all. But in looking towards the future it really demonstrated to me that I want to pursue a career in Foreign Service, and I've become a lot more  passionate about pursuing a career in Foreign Service.

[Brianna] I met some really great people there and learned so, so much about national security, and met so many interesting people, people in the intelligence community, people at different think-tanks, and people that work at Congress.

[Lexi] I was really honored to be chosen, especially because a lot of the Fellows are usually seniors or grad students, and I was only a junior, so  it kind of gave me a little bit of a head start when it came to getting into the field that I'm interested in.

[Mason] From the professional perspective, having that opportunity meant a lot because we made contacts not only of peers, but of professionals in the community that have lengthy and very prestigious careers.

[Jenna] We also got to be, interview personally employees from the State Department who were Foreign Service officials, people who've been in the industry for decades. And the most important thing for me personally that I got to see from them was their book lists. As a scholar who is always studying and learning new things that's the best part for me. A book list is best.

[Mason] Personally, it was just a great experience to get out and meet people that were interested in politics and the national security side within the political arena, not so much just, you know, defense or the military but to actually see national security as a political factor.