The Summer offered many students the opportunity to rest and take a mental break from the rigor of academic course work. For some EKU Homeland Security students, it also provided an opportunity to put into practice what they are learning in the classroom. Internships are one such opportunity to “learn by doing”; others include employment, study abroad trips, and volunteerism. These not only provide relevant experience for including on resumes, but they also afford students the chance to explore challenging but rewarding career pathways. This was the case over the summer months with Kelsie Arisman, Garrett Bowman, Grace Crosthwaite, and Jazmine Gardner.

Kelsie (above, left picture) worked as an intern with the Delaware Emergency Management Agency in Smyrna, Delaware. Her duties included working with the community outreach section and public information officer or PIO, which included support for community events, social media messaging, implementation of communication strategies, safety messaging, launching of the “Know Your Zone” (Hurricane preparedness) campaign, and other activities.

“My internship with DEMA has provided me insight into what the field of emergency management entails,” said Kelsie. “I learned that emergency management is an evolving discipline and will always require system updating and interacting closely with multiple agencies, partners, information sources, and the public to ensure accurate and timely safety messaging/support before, during, and after a disaster.”

Here in Kentucky, Garrett (above, right picture) continued work as a geospatial analyst for the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas or AHIDTA. This is a federally funded grant program through the Executive Office of the President under the Office of National Drug Control Policy aimed at helping to enhance and coordinate counterdrug operations in select areas of the country.

As part of his work, Garrett has interacted with law enforcement personnel from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Kentucky State Police, and other law enforcement partners. “The connections and knowledge I have gained there is invaluable for my future and has opened opportunities that I would not have without working for AHIDTA,” said Garrett. Pictured with Garrett is Mr. James Carroll, former director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

In the vicinity of Cincinnati and surrounding areas, Grace (above, left picture) completed an internship at the Hamilton County (Ohio) Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency. Her activities included creating infographics for social media posts about summer safety and standard operating procedures for different technologies such as Smart911 and Alert Hamilton County.

She also gained experience designing an exercise scheduled for 2022–a unique opportunity. “I worked with the Training and Exercise Specialist to create a table-top exercise that will test the Recovery Framework for Hamilton County,” said Grace. “This internship has provided me with vital skills and knowledge that will help me succeed in my personal life and professional career.”

Jazmine (above, right picture) is a senior at EKU majoring in both Homeland Security and Globalization and International Affairs. She was accepted into a prestigious internship with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and spent this past summer in the Louisville Field Office assisting agents and analysts with investigative casework and administrative tasks. She also achieved a Top Secret security clearance as part of the internship.

According to Jazmine, “this [internship] has provided invaluable opportunities for me to be involved in several investigations and training operations…this experience has provided a unique, in-depth look at the variety of career opportunities that are available within the FBI.” Next on the agenda for Jazmine is a study abroad in Morocco to learn Arabic.

For information on the homeland security program at EKU, including career opportunities, visit the program page at https://homelandsecurity.eku.edu/.

Contributed by Chad Foster

Published on August 30, 2021