Josué Rivera Rivera, an MIPP student at the Elliott School of International Affairs, has been accepted into the prestigious Cambridge International Security and Intelligence (ISI) program.
Supervised by leading international security experts, the program’s purpose is to partner students with leading international security scholars while exploring enduring and emerging themes in international security. The ISI program is put on by the Cambridge Security Initiative in partnership with the Department of War Studies, King’s College, University of London. Josué is the first GW student to be accepted into the program.
The program is chaired by Sir Richard Dearlove, former Chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service and aims to provide students with an opportunity to work with leading international security scholars and practitioners, exploring both enduring and emerging themes in international security.
Themes explored in the program include the challenges facing Western democracies from state and non-state actors, modern conceptions of transparency and state secrecy, and the role of intelligence and security agencies in a modern democratic society.
The program is modeled on the teaching offered at Cambridge University and includes small-group supervision of individual research projects by experts in the relevant fields. In addition, participants also attend the annual CSi conference exploring Intelligence and National Security in a Changing World.
Josué credits his acceptance into the program to the resources available at the Elliott School, saying, “it’s proof of the amazing opportunities available here at the Elliott School and at GW. It starts with the amazing faculty. We have very talented professors and advisors.”
When asked to reflect about his experience at the Elliott School, Josué shared his immense appreciation for the faculty, students, and access to global opportunities.
“At Elliott, there are incredibly talented people who have a true sense of wanting to do good in the world and create change. That is inspiring.”
He advises students to “take advantage of the opportunities you already have here. Understand what you’re curious about and look for different perspectives.”
The Elliott School provides students with unique opportunities for global engagement both in Washington D.C. and abroad. The Office of Graduate Student Services offers resources to students through over 65 networking, informational, and skills-building events.