Denise Mousouris ’14

Major(s): Political Science
Internship Site: U.S. Army War College / PKSOI - Carlisle, PA

The Internship:   
I found this internship through other Dickinson students who highly regarded the program after they had interned at PKSOI earlier in the year.  The application package included the submission of a cover letter, resume, short writing sample, and two letters of recommendation. All application materials for this internship are submitted through DickinsonConnect.

My project consisted of research on South Sudan in regards to the five United Nations stability frameworks as well as building a simulation tool for senior leaders to be used in the UN’s challenges forum. My favorite part of the project was being allowed the opportunity to personally be involved in the international politics of the UNs forum and seeing the beginnings of its new database.

The Challenges:   
It was challenging for me to assimilate into a military structured office having no prior experience with the Army. I reached out to other interns struggling with the same issue and we learned how to incorporate our personalities with the office culture.

The Preparation:
International relations with Andrew wolf, American Government with Vanessa Tyson, and Social Movements, Protests, and Conflicts with Erik Love were all helpful in preparing me for this internship.

The Future:  
The PKSOI internship helped me network and form relationships with NGOs that I would ideally see myself working for in the future such as United States Institute of Peace. It has also helped boost my resume as now I can say that portions of my work have been published in PKSOI literature.

I would like to still continue learning about the military and its relationship with non-profits and NGOs. I will focus my efforts on reading about this area and reach out to the contacts I have made through this experience.

Tips from Denise: 
Take a broad took at a spectrum of areas for a potential internship.  Even if you do not end up wanting to go into the field your internship was in, you have gain new knowledge of that area and you have ruled out something you are positive you are not interested in.



*To find out more about how to get an internship, make an appointment with a career counselor. Just call the Career Center at 717-245-1740 or stop by Biddle House.