Gabrielle Huelsman - INTA 2019

What is your current position? 

I am a Defense Analyst for a government consulting firm, where I work to protect the Firm and our DoD clients against various threats and adversaries through the development and implementation of security strategy and policy. 

How did the International Affairs major prepare you for this? 

The INTA program provided me with a thorough introduction to the global threat landscape and the various schools of thought on how to analyze and understand global adversaries. Additionally, it would not be possible for me to grasp and address the problems our nation and allies face today, without the in-depth historical understanding of international relations that the INTA program facilitated. The purposeful and critical writing skills that I developed while in the INTA program landed hand in preparing me for real-worls briefings and strategic communications I have written for and on behalf of DoD clients, including Assistant Secretaries of Defense. Most importantly, the INTA program promoted an environment that encouraged me to speak up and ask questions that push the status quo-an attribute that I have found invaluable in a governmental world of static thinkers.