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Cameron Breslin 

Internship: Yorktown Institute

Short Bio: Hello, My name is Cameron Breslin and I am one of the Cornerstone Ambassadors for Spring 2024. I am from Scotia, NY which is just west of the capital of New York, Albany. I am going to be an intern at The Yorktown Institute which is an International Relations related think tank that focuses on Great Power competition and US military power. I decided to pursue the Cornerstone Washington Semester Internship Program after I saw it as an option on the Common App application for AU. It has been an informational and fun experience getting to participate in this program and everyone has been so helpful and knowledgeable both in the program and in the university itself. I'm so excited to start my internship in January and take you along as I start my journey into the crazy world of International Relations in the nation's capital. 

April 25th, 2024

I am still in shock that the semester is reaching its end. I continue to be surprised how fast a college year goes compared to a high school one. It feels like just yesterday I was returning to school from spring break and now we are getting ready for summer break.  

And just as my freshman year is wrapping up, so is my internship. Last week my boss began his spring international trip, intending to teach in different universities in the Middle East and Europe while getting to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. As I take an in person break from my internship, I continue to get ready for my bosses return and our institute’s next event. With May 1st being just around the corner I’m excited to attend my first think tank event that I worked on. I think these think tank events are the best way to get connections, talk to high ranking officials and hear some of the best in a specific field and so I try to attend as many as I can fit into my schedule. It’s a great idea to learn something new everyday and think tank events are perfect for fulfilling that goal. 

In school, all of my classes are wrapping up and I finally have my full finals schedule outlined. I still have some essays to write and a test or two to complete but for the most part, finals are just around the corner. In my Writing class I am completing a research paper on Democratic Peace Theory and Star Wars, in my Intro to International Service Class I am writing a position piece on Sino-American Relations and in my Cornerstone Class we are writing our final reflection papers and wrapping up our new resumes and writing samples. These projects are so different that for me they each give me new and totally different information that adds to my knowledge of world politics and the job market. While I am excited for next semester and all of the exciting new classes I am taking, I really will miss my professors from semester two and the great classes I am in.  



 


 

 

I am also excited for my chorus class to have our end of semester concert with the orchestra and later this week we are finally going to get to hear all of us combined, something I’m really looking forward to. I’m also looking forward to some end of year events including the best AU event of the year: AM Fest. AM Fest is a yearly event put on my AU Student Union Board or SUB that hosts artists to perform in a day long concert series. Its such a cool event and something I’m definitely looking forward to. 

Outside of school I continue to play games with friends, go to clubs and parties and try to have the best time I can on the weekends. I continue to play bagpipes on my free time and recently I started learning how to play the drums. 



Now that we are at the end of my time as a cornerstone ambassador I want to give three suggestions for prospective cornerstone students: 

  1. Complete your Resume and Cover Letter over the summer (Your first week of college self will thank you) 

  1. Get on LinkedIn and follow both your friends but also other people in the DMV (one of them might become your boss) 

  1. Make sure to have fun (If you’re not than you aren’t doing it right) 

I want to thank you all for reading my blogs and hearing about all the exciting things I have done this and last semester. I also want to thank Luke Waters and the Cornerstone staff and of course my fellow ambassadors Priyanka and Aditya. 

And as Yoda once said “In a dark place we find ourselves, and a little more knowledge lights our way” 

 

 

 

 

BLOG SCHEDULE

March 25th, 2024

 


It's April already and that means lots of flowers and just one month left of school!

With my semester hitting the 75% mark I am gearing up for some of the hardest assignments in my classes and that means extra trips to Eagle Mart and Target for candy and soda to push me through.

In my SIS class I am currently working on a position piece related to US - Chinese relations, something I am also working on in my internship. In my writing class I am creating a powerpoint slideshow on Democratic Peace Theory which I will later make into a 14 page paper connecting it to Star Wars (sounds crazy but that's what makes AU writing classes so cool!). In Arabic we are learning about past, present and future tense verbs and in Chorus we have been working with the AU Orchestra on an incredible piece by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor called Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast. 

In my internship we are working diligently to get the latest information into new one pagers for Seth (my boss) so that he can write new articles on the current topics in International Relations. With tensions high all around the world, news sources like The Yorktown Institute make all the difference in getting information out to the public. Each piece speaks to an important topic so the more pieces we publish the more we are educating people on new ideas and events. I have enjoyed my time at Yorktown immensely and while I know I will enjoy future internships and the experiences they give me, I will remember this internship as a pivotal one forever. 

Speaking of my internship, I wanted to give a quick shoutout to my fellow interns, AU freshmen and Cornerstone students Matt Wingen and Kasey Bernat. I have been so lucky to work with them in this internship because they each have so many skills that add together for us to make a great trio. That is one of the greatest parts of the Cornerstone program, you make so many great friends and learn so much from them as you all grow as interns and students.

Outside of my classes and internship I have been playing tons of games with friends, exploring DC and going to lots of restaurants. One of the best parts of AU having a bus system to the Metro is that you can really make it to anywhere in the local DMV (DC, Maryland, and Virginia) in an hour or so. For Easter my parents came down to visit and it took me 45 minutes to get to them in Alexandria, definitely shorter than walking to a bus stop and taking a bus over there!

As the weather gets warmer I’m excited to take some longer trips out of the city and go to some parks and walking trails to get in some exercise. I am also excited to start studying outside again. I think the sun and warm weather make you study harder and write faster, or is that just me?



Since it's that time of year, I want to leave you guys with an inspirational quote from my favorite Spring / Easter movie Hop : 

“Okay, if this job interview is so important to you, I'll swing by.”

“No, Fred, you don't swing by. You shower, you shave, and you show up. The three 'Sh's!”

And have a great April!

March 4th, 2024

And just like that I’m on my way home for Spring Break!

It’s been an amazing first half of the semester and these last few weeks have produced events that I will forever remember. I am so lucky to be able to both have this internship and be able to show all of you what I do in my day to day life.

Since my last blog post, I have started writing small pieces for my internship that my boss reviews and then sends to people related to those topics. He has used my notes to speak in meeting with high ranking officials and I am currently a contributor in a piece in a Romanian journal. All strange things that I never thought I would get the opportunity to do coming into AU.

I have learned a lot of skills since joining my internship, but the biggest one is technology. Me and my fellow interns have had to learn how to fix problems on computers, phones, and cars in order to make our jobs, and our bosses job smoother. These problem fixes have increased my knowledge of computers, and what you can and can’t fix or replace. The other thing I have learned during this internship is how to be a good investigative journalist. I really struggled to continue to contact someone when I had sent them a dozen emails and calls. I learned that in order to get the information you need; you have to be annoying and persistent.

Learning both of these skills made me realize just how important these internships are and why having an internship in your Freshman year will help you for the rest of your college career.

On top of that I just finished my takeover week and I think it went really well. I tried to answer any questions you all had about joining the Cornerstone program, having an internship in your Freshman year, and coming to AU. If you missed the takeover and want to see my answers to questions as well as what I do in my day to day, you can go the AUCornerstone Instagram page and click on the takeovers story.

Outside of my internship I have had lots of time to hangout with friends and go to events. I have been to a lot of basketball games as part of the pep band and while our Men’s and Women’s teams did not reach the heights they have in the past, they still played some amazing basketball, and I was shocked by how talented each one of them were. I have gone into the city a lot as well and getting to see the National Mall in early Spring is quite a sight and I’m really excited to see them in peak Spring when the cherry blossoms finally are in full bloom.

I am really excited for break and seeing my family and friends this coming week and it will be a nice break from the hustle and bustle of my life in DC. Then my friend is coming to DC for a weekend, and I am so excited to show him around the city and introduce him to my friends in college.

 




Hope you are all doing well and excited for Spring to be in full force later in the month and as Nardwuar says “Keep rocking in the free world.”

February 12, 2024 

Hey Everyone,

My name is Cameron Breslin and I am a freshman studying International Studies with the hopes of minoring in Arabic Studies. I am from Scotia, New York, which is just west of the capital Albany. I am currently working for Mr. Seth Cropsey at the Yorktown Institute. The point of the institute is to write articles on the history of great power competition (a topic that is still very new to me) and how great power competition has a massive impact on our nation and the relations we have with other countries, especially those in the Middle East and Indo-Pacific regions. 

Cameron Travelling to Work via the Metro
 
I want to start off by just saying…. Wow, I can't believe it's already 5 weeks into the semester and I have my first blog post. This semester has flown by and I have truly enjoyed every moment of my time in my internship. Each week seems to blend into the next and with the sunny weather, I can see glimpses of the spring and then summer to come. Hopefully, since the Groundhog said so, we can start spring early.

I want to start off by giving you a quick look at what I do in a day at my internship. I work on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 1 - 4 or 4:30 pm plus working virtually on Mondays and sometimes over the weekends as I continue to research topics for Mr. Cropsey. I try to leave for my internship at about noon but on Tuesdays and Fridays I have to leave at 12:45 as my Writing class extends to 12:35. It takes between 30 and 45 minutes to get to my internship and on the metro I do prep work for my internship day ahead. When I arrive at Farragut Square, I walk to the Army Navy Club, where I work and wish the wonderful doorman a good morning (make sure to be kind to everyone who you meet in your day as an intern, even the cleaners). I then meet with Mr. Cropsey and we talk about what I have worked on in my virtual sessions and what I have found on the topic he assigned to me. I then meet with my fellow interns and friends, Kasey Bernat, Matt Wingen and Grant Turner and we compare what we are doing and see if we can help each other with our tasks.

Cameron in the Office

Then I start on my assignments. Usually this includes three things and they each happen depending on what Mr. Cropsey views it as more important for the day. They are: 1. Researching a topic for an article Mr. Cropsey is writing, 2. Returning emails for Mr. Cropsey from groups that want him to write an article or speak for an event, and 3. Write a one pager about a topic so he can get a gist of what he is speaking on for an event. I really enjoy researching as it gives me a better view of the world and specifically great power competition’s international effects.

Cameron's Desk

Outside of work, I have enjoyed hanging with my friends at parties and going into the city to visit a museum or two. The best thing that has happened recently however was when I participated as a staffer for AMERIMUNC which is American's High School Model UN event. It was such a cool experience and I got to meet some really cool people, both college and high school students. 

Well, that's all I have for now. Have a happy February and as my favorite basketball player, Dwight Howard, once said “ Today is a good day. Even if you were wrong yesterday, you can get it right today.”