This summer, Silverado has had the pleasure of welcoming three wonderful interns to its team. As the summer draws to a close, we asked each of our interns to reflect on their time with Silverado and share some thoughts on pursuing a career in public policy and national security. First up is Jimmy Galvin, who joined Silverado in June.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m from Northampton, in western Massachusetts. Next year, I’m going to be a freshman at the University of Virginia, and I think I’m going to study foreign affairs, which is what they call international relations. When I'm not interning at Silverado, I play soccer and basketball and do other normal 18-year-old things, like hang out with my friends. I also like to read The New York Times a lot. That's how I got into international relations.

Which of Silverado’s three pillars — cybersecurity, trade and industrial security, and Eco²Sec — appealed to you the most?

I think I would say cybersecurity — cybersecurity and national security, since that's what I've always been drawn to. But the thing I really liked about Silverado is that all of the three pillars are cutting-edge issues in foreign policy and global affairs. I didn't have much experience with climate and trade policy, so it’s been nice to be able to get some experience in those fields, which are important now and will continue to be very important going forward.

What's been a project that you’ve worked on at Silverado that you’ve particularly enjoyed?

I think it would be researching the global semiconductor industry and looking at current production capacity in different countries. With the CHIPS Act passing just a few days ago to incentivize more production capacity in the United States, it felt like I was doing some work that was important and valuable and pertinent today, so that was very cool.

What’s something you've learned about working in public policy from your time at Silverado?

I've learned that there are a lot more people who have a say in how policy gets made than I initially thought. I sort of assumed that maybe there were a couple of lobbying groups who influenced policy but that it was primarily just lawmakers making decisions based on their interests and the interests of their constituents. But I think I learned through my time with Silverado that there are lots of ways that people can influence policy and our government for good. I certainly didn't know the level of engagement that organizations like Silverado can have with the policymaking process.

What sort of career path are you considering, and has Silverado influenced your thinking about a future career at all?

I'm not totally set, but I think I want to work in national security, though I don't know whether I want to advise people or be a policymaker. I was definitely interested in the national security world to begin with, but I feel like I have an even greater appreciation and understanding of it now that I've been with Silverado. I'm still pretty young, so all that could change, but it definitely feels like Silverado has further cemented my interest in this area.

Are there any books that you’ve read recently that you’ve particularly enjoyed?

I read “Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis” by Robert Kennedy. I thought that was very good. It was really interesting to see into the thought processes of these really important people at such a pivotal moment in the history of the world. When you think about how wrong it could have gone…