Alumni Mentorship Program

The Alumni Mentorship Program (AMP) connects Master of Arts in Security Studies (SSP) students with our dynamic alumni community working across the security sectors. With mentors from a wide range of professional backgrounds, both locally in the DMV area and globally, you will receive invaluable guidance and support as you navigate your academic and professional journey.

AMP’s mission is to foster meaningful, professional relationships between our students and alumni. This experience will help you explore career paths, expand your network and gain real-world perspectives in the security studies field.

Application process

The Alumni Mentorship Program (AMP) is open to current SSP students each semester. You will have the opportunity to participate multiple times and connect with a diverse range of mentors during your time at SSP. Rather than being a competitive selection process, the application is designed to help the SSP Admissions and Alumni Engagement team gather essential information about your background, career interests and goals, to ensure the best possible mentor match for you.

How to apply

You will be informed in the SSP Weekly Brief when applications open and will receive additional details on the steps to follow.

Student testimonials on their mentorship experience

Participating in the AMP has been a wonderful experience. Talking to my mentors feels like I am holding a conversation with the person I aim to become in a few years. I am grateful to have received the advice and support I need to achieve my dream objectives. Thanks to this program, I got introduced to many opportunities to further my network, which helped me in understanding the sector I hope to work in much better.
JB El Khoury (SSP’26)

The Alumni Mentorship program has allowed me to connect one-on-one with former students and gain valuable knowledge about how to make the most of my time in SSP, as well as navigating the transition into my career.
Payton Taylor (SSP’25)

I highly recommend participating in the Alumni Mentorship program as it gives you a chance to receive career advice, discuss how to tailor your SSP experience to your individual goals, and engage in the SSP community.
Kevin Zhang (SSP ’26)

Alumni careers: Where our mentors work

Sector breakdown

Label	Sector breakdown
Private sector	50%
Federal government & military	37%
Think tanks, universities & nonprofits	10%
International organizations & foreign governments	3%

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Sector breakdown is based on 2024/25 data.

Alumni employer examples based on sectors

Private sector

Google, Meta, Booz Allen Hamilton

Federal government & military

State Department, Department of Defense, Intelligence Agencies

Think tanks, universities & nonprofits

RAND, Brookings Institution, Georgetown Center for Security and Emerging Technology

International organizations & foreign governemnts

United Nations, World Bank, Ministry of Japan

Meet our mentors

Our mentors bring unique experiences from various professional fields. Explore the profiles of our SSP alumni to get a sense of the diverse mentors available to you.

Explore alumni

The Alumni Mentorship Program was instrumental in my career pivot when I was an SSP student, which is why I’m passionate about giving back as a mentor. It’s incredibly rewarding to connect with current student and help them navigate their career paths, much like the extensive Georgetown network has supported me.
As a mentor, I aim to provide the same guidance and support that was valuable to me by helping students tap into the diverse and existing opportunities available to them.
Alexis Reiter (SSP’21)
Senior Policy Specialist at Google

Heatshot of Anthony "Tony" Johnson with suit, with a yellow wall behind him.

Mentoring gives me the chance to help students think through the same questions I faced starting out—and in many ways, it’s like advising my younger self. The real gift is experiencing their excitement about the future through fresh eyes, and then watching them grow from students into professionals making a difference.
Anthony “Tony” Johnson (SSP’18)
Adjunct Research Staff Member & Senior Advisor, Institute for Defense Analyses