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"My decision to attend the Monterey Institute was
ultimately based on its unique strengths in nonproliferation
studies and its Russian language program. I was fortunate to
have been chosen to be an intern at the United Nations (UN)
Department for Disarmament Affairs in New York after my first
year of study at the Institute through the Center for
Nonproliferation Studies’ (CNS) intern program. I was asked to
do research and writing assignments by Under-Secretary-General
Jayantha Dhanapala (former CNS Diplomat-in-Residence) and by
Hannelore Hoppe, Chief of the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
Branch. The highlight of my internship was attending the UN
General Assembly’s First Committee (disarmament and security
issues) meeting, where I assisted the UN Secretariat and
diplomats with their work, and sat behind the podium at every
meeting. This gave me a unique perspective on how the General
Assembly addresses disarmament concerns and on the procedural
functioning of the United Nations. The most valuable aspect of
the internship experience was the chance to see how
differently the worlds of academia and diplomacy function. The
CNS internship gives students an opportunity to bridge that
gap personally, and lets the experience inform them in their
future careers.
"When I returned to Monterey for my third semester in
Spring 2000, I was asked to be the “President” of the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference simulation, a
participatory class on international negotiations. My
internship at the United Nations prepared me greatly for this
task, as I had already met many of the real-life participants
and had helped to prepare background information for the
Conference. I returned to New York in May 2000 to attend the
last ten days of the actual Conference, where I assisted the
Acronym Institute in publishing daily reports on the progress
made in negotiations. My CNS internship and simulation classes
exposed me to the dynamics of multilateral negotiations,
important to understanding the progress made on disarmament
issues."
-- Mary Beth Nikitin
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"CNS was not only a good experience in terms of acquiring
content knowledge, but while working at CNS, fifty-percent or
more of the materials I handled were in Russian, and this
greatly enhanced my language capability. This was critical in
getting my job at the Department of State. I would not have
achieved the level of language fluency needed if it had not
been for my time at the Center as well as at the Monterey
Institute. I felt like while I was here I had the chance to
develop my full potential, because I was encouraged to be
autonomous and independent as a researcher and a writer. As
well, the CNS International Organizations and Nonproliferation
Project internship was a great experience in working in an
international organization. I would highly recommend these
opportunities to anyone interested in either nonproliferation
issues or security issues at large."
-- Lisa Holtyn |
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"The Center's paid internship program has enabled me to
gain invaluable experience at the International Atomic Energy
Agency. During my internship, I was able to further my
knowledge and refine my research and analytical skills. I also
had the opportunity to meet and interact with experts in the
field on a day-to-day basis. I highly recommend the
internships to students who are dedicated to the field of
nonproliferation."
-- Sandi Arnold |
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"My experience at the Center helped me in my career a great
deal. I learned about new sources of information on a variety
of issues, learned how to utilize large amounts of information
efficiently, and learned a lot about the topics in which I was
involved. Perhaps the most important thing for me, though, is
the contacts I made when I was at the Center. I worked closely
with the CIS scholars and have continued to maintain
professional relationships with them, and have worked with a
number of them in my subsequent jobs."
-- Elisa Moskowitz |
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"I became especially interested in nonproliferation and
disarmament during my CNS internship at the United Nations in
Spring 1998, during which I was afforded the opportunity to
see and participate in the nonproliferation effort at a global
level. When I read the information about CNS and the
Certificate in Nonproliferation Studies program, I decided to
attend the Monterey Institute of International Studies, focus
on nonproliferation studies, and to work on issues pertaining
to the former Soviet Union." Liz found the most important
aspects of her CNS experience to be "working with an
international staff with vast experience in the field, and
developing abstracting and analytical skills."
-- Elizabeth "Liz" Dickinson (Keith)
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"What I enjoyed most about CNS was to be able to use my
language skills in my job and to be able to gain practical
experience in the nonproliferation field while still in
graduate school. My experience at CNS helped teach me about
the policy aspects of nonproliferation and gave me a window
into the interplay between nongovernmental organizations and
the government. These experiences are very relevant for my
present position."
-- Lara Cantuti |
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"While interning with the House of Representatives
Committee on International Relations, I ran across Dr.
Potter's name numerous times, and his work at the Center
peaked my interest. I came to Monterey to study at the Center
and to learn Russian. What has been most valuable to me while
with CNS has been the interaction of working at the Center
while taking classes about similar topics, and having the same
friends in those two venues with which to discuss news and
ideas."
-- Paul Irwin |
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"Some of the great things about the certificate program are
the variety of classes offered and the small class size. I
found that while writing papers and doing research, the
faculty at CNS were always ready to provide help. The work
experience at the Center was also a positive one."
-- Heidi Schmidt
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"CNS offers opportunities and access no one else provided
to international nonproliferation organizations."
-- Peter O'Meara Evans |
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"To make a long story short, my education at CNS and MIIS
prepared me well for the field of nonproliferation and
international security. The combination of academic and
professional experience was invaluable and helped me land my
first real job in D.C. And for that I am very thankful!
I hope you will consider the Monterey Institute and the
Center for Nonproliferation Studies for your graduate
career."
-- Risa Mongiello
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"MIIS offered me a chance to study arms control, disarmament
and nonproliferation at a depth matched by few- if any-
schools in the world. I particularly benefited from a course
on current issues in non-proliferation, taught entirely in
Japanese. At regular intervals throughout the semester, our
Japanese class would meet in a plenary session with other
groups taking the same course in Chinese and Russian. Few
schools are able to offer such a course in any language.
MIIS taught it in three, and had the resources to provide
simultaneous interpretation for a truly unique
cross-cultural sharing of ideas. Equally impressive to me
was the Monterey Institute’s Arms Control Simulation. For an
entire term, our class (including students from Foreign
Ministries from around the globe) debated and negotiated a
U.S.-Russian arms control agreement to follow the 2002
Moscow Treaty. The issues we worked on in that simulation
are issues that I now deal with on a day to day basis."
-- Charles Mahaffey
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"I wanted to obtain a Certificate in Nonproliferation
Studies because it's such an important field and I think that
it will be a very big issue in the 21st century. I think that
what was most valuable about my time at CNS was the group of
amazing people whom I had the opportunity to meet and learn
from."
-- Hilary Anderson |
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Heather Burkel chose to obtain a Certificate in
Nonproliferation Studies because "nonproliferation is a
fascinating field and is something that has great impact on
the world." She found "the expertise and connections of the
staff, visiting scholars, and other students" at CNS very
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"CNS was a great place to work and study, with great
colleagues and resources. I did most of my research for
classes in the CNS and Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies
libraries. Working with, learning from, and socializing with
Ambassador Timerbaev, Elena Kirichenko, Vlad Orlov, Sasha
Pikayev, Igor Timofeyev, and Dastan Eleukenov was an
invaluable experience. Working at CNS introduced me to Laura
Holgate, who at the time was the Director and Special
Coordinator for Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) at the
Department of Defense. She brought me into the CTR office as a
Presidential Management Intern and that was the start of my
career in the Russia/nonproliferation field in government. My
work at CNS gave me the strong background in nonproliferation
and Russian language/culture issues that allowed me to be
competitive with other folks many years my senior. I was able
to bring a different perspective that most other government
employees do not have (or did not, before the influx of
Monterey Institute/CNS graduates invaded Washington, DC!). I
was able to give short, informal briefings to DOD officials in
my chain of command on how a reactor works, or a nuclear
weapon design. One of my most memorable experiences at
MIIS/CNS was taking the nonproliferation simulation class from
Bill (Dr. Potter) in 1994, in which we role-played
negotiations between the United States, Russia and Ukraine on
the return of Ukraine's nuclear weapons to Russia,
compensation for the material in the weapons, etc. I was
playing the role of the Minister of Atomic Energy, Viktor
Mikhailov. Only a few years later, I met Mikhailov in
Washington and was in negotiations with his deputies in
Moscow! My major accomplishment since graduation from MIIS/CNS
has been working in direct negotiations with the Russians,
feeling that I was actually making a difference in US-Russian
relations."
-- Sarah G.J. Lennon (Jacobson)
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"If you want to choose nonproliferation as your field, no
other research center would benefit you more. The work we do
here with students is cutting-edge."
-- Kent Jamison |
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"I have greatly benefited from the expertise in the nuclear
and missile area from not only professors and work colleagues
but from the guest lectures. I have perhaps been most
impressed with the number of young women aspiring in this
field, which has in turn given me confidence that I will make
it in this male- and military- dominated field."
-- Shelby McNichols |
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"I'm interested in the nuclear issue as a Japanese, and I
wanted to study the field at the Monterey Institute." Michiru
likes the fact that "CNS is full of people from various
countries."
-- Michiru Nishida |
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"I find that my education there was very practical,
particularly at hindsight. MIIS/CNS provided me with a solid
knowledge basis of arms control, nonproliferation and
disarmament matters and taught me useful negotiation skills.
Plus, the IONP internship at the United Nations Department
for Disarmament Affairs' WMD Branch was a unique opportunity
to combine theory with practice and to experience the 'real'
working world even before graduation. Most importantly
perhaps, MIIS was able to offer a learning environment that
offered individual focus and support that did not end with
graduation. The personal and professional connections I
established at MIIS and during my internship at the United
Nations have been invaluable to my professional development
and will continue to be so. I liked the great contacts and support by CNS staff and
professors."
 -- Jenni Rissanen, External Relations Officer,
Geneva Liaison Office, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) |
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