2010 Intern Spotlight: Ambika Natesh

Ambika Natesh

Name: Ambika Natesh
Home Institution: Brown University
Major: International Relations, Middle East Focus

“I thoroughly enjoyed my summer internship at CNS. I had little to no knowledge of nonproliferation and disarmament issues before coming, but that changed rapidly. The ongoing lectures and seminars that CNS sponsors and encourages interns to attend are informative not only on the level of background and history of nonproliferation issues but also with regard to current analysis and policy implications. The staff members at CNS are also a wonderful resource – the experience and insight they bring to the issues is incomparable. 

There are two things that make an internship at CNS stand out. First, the people: as I mentioned, CNS staff are incredibly experienced, and they’re also willing to talk to students. There are multiple opportunities to work closely with them on any number of projects. The second outstanding thing about CNS is the commitment to giving interns substantial work – there will be minimal filing and paperwork here. Interns are encouraged to take on projects and conduct independent research, and it’s a great opportunity for anyone interested in global security and wanting to pursue a career in that or security/defense studies. My time at CNS definitely gave me clearer insights into what I want to do after graduating and I hope to have the chance to work with the staff there again in the future.”