News Article

NORTH EAST, Md: This May, Cecil College was honored to be represented by Elissa Ertwine at The Washington Center’s (TWC) annual National Security Academic Seminar. Ms. Ertwine, a student at Cecil College, was part of a group of over 140 learners from around the country who gathered in-person to experience the national security community from the inside, while exploring their own futures in the field.

Throughout the week-long program, students engaged with distinguished professionals from government agencies, think tanks and private sector organizations. Keynote speakers and panel participants included Bilva Chandra, Senior AI Policy Advisor with the National Institute of Standards and Technology; Dr. Mara Karlin, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategies, Plans, and Capabilities with the U.S. Department of Defense; and Juan Zarate, Global Co-Managing Partner and Chief Strategy Officer of K2 Integrity and former Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser for Combating Terrorism.

In addition, Ms. Ertwine gained access to the organizations and institutions of influence across D.C. This included meetings at the Department of Defense, Deloitte, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, American Enterprise Institute, The British Embassy and more.

This seminar not only provided an opportunity for students to explore pressing issues in national and domestic security policy, but also gave them a chance to deepen their own career pathways. Participants were able to hear about different career paths in the national security field and network with professionals who tackle national security challenges every day.

About The Washington Center

The Washington Center is the largest and most established student internship program in Washington, D.C. Since our founding, we’ve helped more than 60,000 young people translate their college majors into career paths. We use our scale and expertise to customize each student’s experience to be truly transformative.