Interns are an instrumental part of the research, writing, and academic course efforts at the Center. Each semester, the Center has between 4-6 interns who assist faculty and staff with course preparations, academic research, and journal articles. These interns are student volunteers who are chosen from a lengthy and competitive selection process from scores of applicants.

During their time at the Perry Center, the interns gain valuable experience working in a multicultural and multilingual environment, interacting with senior civilian and military officials from the Americas, developing graduate-level academic material, and contributing to solutions for complex security and defense problems in the region. Interns attend various lectures, courses, and professional development sessions hosted by the Perry Center and the National Defense University. The summer 2016 team of interns visited the White House, the Library of Congress, the State Department, and the Pentagon among other locations.

During the ceremony, the staff and faculty recognized Luis Fernando Alonso (returning to the University of Pittsburgh), Camila Blaha (returning to the University of Virginia), and Emily Tenuta (returning to the University of Villanova).

The farewell ceremony was also a chance to bid goodbye to Ms. Katy Robinson. Katy was accepted to the PhD program in Political Science at Stanford University in California in the fall of 2016. Her association with the Perry Center started as an intern in the Fall of 2013. The bonds she developed from her experience extended beyond that semester and, in 2014, she co-published an important academic report on the metrics of counter-narcotics efforts as a Perry Center Occasional Paper. Katy returned to the Center in 2015 as a full-time member of the staff coordinating intern duties and assisting with numerous academic events.

Perry Center Director Mark Wilkins admitted that Katy’s departure was “bittersweet” for the Center’s staff and faculty. She starts an outstanding opportunity at one of the best academic universities in the United States. At the same time, she will be sorely missed as a member of the Perry Center team.

We wish all the best to our team of departing interns and to Katy as they continue their professional academic development.