Southeast program inspires students to learn more about government

Students from Southeast Missouri State University recently attended the Center for Strategic International Studies for a think-tank session with several researchers and global-studies experts from around the world.

Thirty Southeast students spent their spring break in Washington, D.C., attending a four-day program that included presentations and discussions with national-research experts. Students also participated in a crisis simulation.

In the simulation scenario, the United States had been hacked by another country and all banks were inaccessible. The students were assigned to different "departments," such as the State Department, Press Corps or Department of Defense, and had to collaborate with one another to solve the problem.

"It helps students really understand how the government works, how one agency has to depend on information one agency has and they have to synchronize their efforts to solve the problem," said Willie Redmond, an economics professor at Southeast who has been one of the coordinators of the CSIS program for nine years.

Southeast is one of four universities that has a partnership with CSIS and is the only university that participates in the four-day seminar. Southeast's partnership with CSIS dates back 12 years and is one of the longest partnerships CSIS has with a university.

"It's very prestigious for Southeast Missouri State to have this relationship with this leading global think tank and to be a university that they want to keep inviting back, and it's because of the students," Redmond said. "I think our students do well and create such a positive vibe in the whole building that in some ways they say having a group of young people like that, it really energizes the whole building."

Students of all majors and from Southeast's main and regional campuses were invited to attend the seminar, something Redmond said is rare.

"Some universities bring mostly [political-science] students, but we take our students who may be music majors or even art majors or whatever," Redmond said. "We allow all of our students to participate in this program, and it's really interesting to see how well -- no matter your major -- how your little bit of the world fits into this whole big puzzle."

Students who attended CSIS this semester said the opportunity opened their eyes to a broader view of world affairs, allowed them to network with government workers and helped them learn more about themselves.

Sarah Monteiro said her experience at CSIS was life-changing.

"This was my favorite trip that I've taken with Southeast," she said. "All the opportunities that it created, all the connections we made, all the networking we were able to do and all that we learned will stay with us. It's not just something I'll forget. When I say it's life-changing, I'm not kidding."

She added the experience solidified her dream of becoming a lawyer and inspired her to add a major in global studies. Despite adding a year to her schooling, she said it was worth it to follow her passions.

Ahmed Hasan, a senior accounting major, said the trip to Washington, D.C., opened his eyes to careers in his field he'd never imagined before.

"They were telling us that if you're an accounting major, you don't just have to work at an accounting firm," he said. "You can get out of that and do whatever you want to do. It's really about, there's so much stuff to do apart from your major's stuff. There's so many things to do and you can really be in a place where you can be an expert in things you enjoy."

Hasan added he was beginning research on food waste.

Rachel Orf, a junior economics major, said she joined the CSIS program to increase her involvement on campus. Orf is a member of Alpha Xi Delta and said she wanted more academic opportunities to be prepared for her future career. She said the CSIS made her feel confident in her future and empowered to learn more.

"You go there and you see how all of these people made it to where they are now," Orf said. "Their backgrounds are super crazy. Like one girl surfed for seven years and now she's working in top levels of government. Nobody's path is direct. There's so much ambiguity and possibilities, and it shows you that there's a lot more hope for getting where you want to go."

Orf will be joining Hasan, Monteiro and other students at a business-related competition in St. Louis this month. She said Redmond noticed her and the other students and encouraged them to join the team.

"I never would have done this without CSIS," Orf said. "He asked me if I wanted to do this and I said, 'Absolutely, yes I do,' because I am capable."

CSIS attendees will be giving presentations about their experience in the University Center on April 13. The exact times have not been announced.

Students wanting to attend CSIS in the future should watch the Student Portal at the beginning of the fall semester for applications. To apply, students must have a letter of recommendation, a brief essay about why they want to attend the seminar and must have at least a 3.0 grade point average. Student involvement and extra curriculars also are taken into consideration. Redmond said along with these requirements, it is preferred students attending CSIS be at Southeast for at least one semester following the seminar in order to apply the skills acquired there to their work at the university and encourage others to attend.

Those who are accepted into the program must complete a required UI 400-level class that will prepare them for the seminar with different exercises. Students accepted only have to pay the tuition for the class in order to attend thanks to donations from a number of people and organizations.

For more about CSIS, visit semo.edu/csis or csis.org.