August 18, 2023

Why Is Public Service a Members-Only Club?

By: Celina Pouchet

In 2018, I attended an event at my public university where a large percentage of the student body had transferred from a local community college. The event was one of a few organized each year to connect students from underrepresented demographics with professionals in the security sphere. Many, like myself, are first-generation college students and first-generation Americans.

The next generation of leaders in public service are jumping through costly and complicated hoops for the chance to serve their country when they should be able to enter through the front door.

We sat facing a panel of representatives who came to speak with us about working in national security. In the staggering discussion of acronyms, vague job descriptions, unpaid internships, prestigious fellowships, and nonchalant paths to success, it became clear that the surest way into public service was through personal connections, financial flexibility and an insane amount of luck.

Read the full article from Military Times.

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