What does the Battle Book say about applying to prestigious fellowships, oh fellow MilSpousers? I was never that kid in college who was anyone's first pick for a Truman Scholarship or the Pickering Fellowship. I lacked the attention span, the savvy, and likely the grades, too.
No, I was always the kid who found out about the fellowship requirements the day after the winner was announced and thought, "wouldn't that be cool...if only." Can you picture the wistful inner monologue?
I discovered a paid internship opportunity at the Center for Defense Information (CDI) in 2004 the week before it was due. There was no time for bs or obfuscation. I told them who I was and why I wanted to work in security studies. I JUST DID IT. And I got it. And it was great. I learned. I wrote. I researched. I made friends with video news gurus, policy wonks, and supported experts in their research. I sat in on meetings with Fareed Zakaria from TIME Magazine and watched an intern from the American Heritage Institute get crushed in a debate with an intern from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).* I gained confidence and validation along with experience.
