Now in its seventh year, the Paul F. Pelosi Scholars Initiative (PSI) continues to uplift exceptional SFS sophomores and juniors through a dynamic program that fosters professional growth, meaningful mentorship and real-world learning. By funding public service internship placements and connecting students with accomplished practitioners and scholars, PSI equips them with the tools and networks needed to thrive in public service.
Established through the generous support of Paul F. (SFS’62) and Nancy Pelosi (H’02), who spearheaded a $1.6 million fundraising effort in 2018, PSI has become a cornerstone for nurturing talent dedicated to the common good and has supported 83 scholars since its launch. The initiative selects students who embody the Jesuit value of “people for others” and connects them to a growing network of alumni, mentors and public service practitioners.
For the final piece in this series, we’re highlighting the 2025 Pelosi Scholars and their internships in economics and security, spanning roles in the U.S. government and local nonprofit organizations.
Current SFS sophomores and juniors interested in becoming a Pelosi Scholar can apply here to the 2026 cohort now until September 28, 2025.
Mar Casajuana (SFS’26)
U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes, Middle East
Mar Casajuana (SFS’26) spent her summer working as an intern in the U.S. Department of the Treasury in the Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes, focusing on the Middle East. She gained a deeper appreciation for how the Treasury Department leverages its diplomatic authorities, as well as its enforcement, intelligence and regulatory tools to mitigate terrorist financing risks in the region. Throughout her internship, she wrote policy memos to make and defend recommendations and attended meetings with high-level foreign officials.
“I’m grateful to have been pushed outside my comfort zone, consistently challenged and given the opportunity to contribute directly to the policymaking process,” Casajuana says.
What are you most thankful for from this internship?
It’s been incredibly rewarding to apply the writing and communication skills I’ve developed over the past three years in SFS and strengthen them through my work. In just one month, I drafted multiple briefing memos for senior Treasury leadership for meetings with high-level foreign officials and authored decision memos where I was trusted to make and defend my own recommendations. While this was intimidating at first, I’m thankful for how well SFS prepared me to navigate these challenges and for the opportunity to be challenged, feel supported and feel like I’m making a meaningful impact through my internship.
How did working in this field/your organization influence your career goals?
My internship reaffirmed my commitment to a career in public service, with counter terrorist financing providing a unique focus within my longstanding interest in the intersection of development and security in the Middle East. This experience also broadened my perspective on the different avenues, both inside and outside government service, through which I can advance this mission.
How has this experience shaped your view of public service?
This experience gave me a unique perspective on how the public and private sectors collaborate to strengthen regional stability and financial inclusivity abroad. While the Treasury Department’s equities in counter terrorist financing differ from those of the financial sector, my internship showed me that it’s possible to remain mission-oriented and pursue similar objectives across sectors. Meetings with banks, diplomats, regional experts and foreign partners reinforced the value of diverse perspectives in shaping national security policy, while also deepening my understanding of how to advance the specific priorities of the office I represented.
William Doran (SFS’25)
Institute for the Study of War
Will Doran (SFS’25) spent the summer interning with the Institute for the Study of War (ISW)—a non-partisan, nonprofit public policy research organization in Washington, DC, that advances an informed understanding of military affairs. Supporting the Middle East team’s Syria portfolio, Doran conducted open-source and geospatial intelligence on political and security developments in Syria and co-authored an ISW special report on Syrian counterinsurgency and government formation during the Israel-Iran war. Doran credits his experiences with strengthening his desire to contribute to the role of intelligence analysis in national security and public service.
“Providing high-quality intelligence to America’s policymakers, military leaders and the general public alike is a mission of incredible importance in the vein of public service,” Doran says.
What had the biggest impact on you during your internship?
Of everything that made my internship at ISW this summer an extraordinary experience, it’s the dedication of ISW’s staff that’s had the greatest impact on me. ISW’s internship program placed a strong emphasis on interns learning directly through research projects with staff mentors. As a result, the most valuable experiences I had researching this summer were working on those projects with ISW’s team and being able to learn directly from professionals who remained so dedicated to the intern skill-building experience. Growing my familiarity with open-source and geospatial intelligence and research on the Middle East would not have been possible without the staff ready to provide opportunities to learn through tasks and experience, and their guidance is something I am truly very grateful for.
How did working in this field/your organization influence your career goals?
Despite a far-from-encouraging outlook on public service career opportunities over this past year, the Pelosi Scholars Initiative and my experience interning at the Institute for the Study of War have convinced me ever more of my aspiration to public service. Similarly, both of these experiences have prepared me extensively for the start of my post-collegiate career, from invaluable tradecraft skills gained at ISW to the PSI’s crucial career discernment and networking insights.
How has this experience shaped your view of public service?
Working at ISW really confirmed to me the value and reward of contributing to an intelligence analysis environment with a mission to inform policy for the United States’ national security and the success of the U.S. Armed Forces. In a time with an overabundance of misinformation, disinformation and plain confusion over the truth of military and political developments overseas, striving for a mission to provide the highest-quality assessments possible for key decision-makers and the public alike is nothing short of necessary. It is that sense of mission that I encountered and engaged with at ISW that has really cemented my passion to commit to public service through best informing U.S. policymakers of threat trends and developments around the world.
Katie Cheung (SFS’27)
Special Competitive Studies Project
Katie Cheung (SFS’27) spent her summer as a research and analysis assistant at the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), a non-partisan, nonprofit initiative that seeks to make recommendations to strengthen the United States’ long-term competitiveness in artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies in relation to national security, the economy and society. A highlight of her experience was supporting the 2025 AI+ Expo, at which she saw a strong focus on partnerships—not just between governments and tech companies, but across entire innovation ecosystems, especially in relation to AI developments in Africa.
“I witnessed the power of elevating the voices of young tech entrepreneurs alongside senior government leaders, each contributing unique perspectives to shape the future of AI and emerging technologies,” Cheung says.
What had the biggest impact on you during your internship?
The most impactful part of my internship was the kindness, intelligence and generosity of my team. Their willingness to explain complex concepts, involve me in a wide range of projects, and provide mentorship deepened my understanding of the work, making my experience at the SCSP truly insightful.
How did working in this field/your organization influence your career goals?
Working at the intersection of U.S.-China strategic competition, AI and emerging technologies was a completely new experience for me. Through independent research and exposure to high-level discussions, this experience has significantly strengthened my commitment to bridging technological innovation with international development.
How has this experience shaped your view of public service?
Being surrounded by former government officials with diverse personal and professional backgrounds—ranging from USAID to the U.S. Department of Defense—broadened my understanding of what public service can look like. Despite their different paths, everyone shared a common commitment to serving others. This experience has shown me that public service is a mindset and a mission, one that feels especially vital in today’s world.
Mohamed Meshal (SFS’27)
U.S. Department of Commerce Advocacy Center
Mohamed Meshal (SFS’27) spent his summer as an international trade administration advocacy intern in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Advocacy Center. He supported U.S. companies competing for international contracts and gained firsthand insight into the role of public service in advancing American business interests abroad. Meshal helped manage advocacy cases, conducted in-depth research on U.S. companies trying to acquire foreign government bids and aided these companies by advocating for their value to the U.S. economy and national security.
What were some of the highlights from your internship?
During my internship, I expanded my professional network by engaging with officials across the federal government and industry, including the U.S. State Department, Boeing and Lockheed Martin. I also contributed to major advocacy projects, most notably supporting the $6 billion Boeing-Gulf Air signing ceremony, which highlighted the Advocacy Center’s role in advancing U.S. commercial interests abroad. Through these experiences, I strengthened my understanding of how government and business intersect in international trade while developing skills in collaboration, research and professional communication.
How has this experience shaped your view of public service?
My time as a Pelosi Scholar and as an intern at the Department of Commerce’s Advocacy Center has shown me both the challenges and opportunities of public service. While it is clear that our institutions face real shortcomings, this experience deepened my conviction that these challenges only underscore the need for committed, principled public servants. I leave the summer more determined to contribute in ways that ensure the government can serve the broader public good.
Kate Halabi (SFS’27)
Responsible Business Initiative for Justice
Kate Halabi (SFS’27) worked here in Washington, DC, as a summer intern for the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ), a nonprofit organization that works with state-level and federal governments to pursue common-sense criminal justice reform. Building on her perspective from her international politics major and international law concentration, she brought an international background to domestic advocacy against the death penalty and in favor of Clean Slate record expungement. She wrote congressional testimony, researched the impact of the criminal justice system on Indigenous Americans and drafted reform recommendations that businesses could advocate for on the state level. She practiced turning advocacy-level research into actionable policy proposals.
“Working with coalitions of nonprofits and state legislators, I admired the community-driven work that turns a policy proposal into law,” Halabi says.
What had the biggest impact on you during your internship?
I loved my internship because it focused on state-level political change. We worked with businesses and state representatives to advocate for sensible criminal justice reform on the state level, and I learned about different state political systems across the country. By working with so many passionate state representatives and leaders, I gained an appreciation for the community-driven work that happens in state legislatures and often seems to be missing from the federal level.
Favorite memory from the internship?
The One Big Beautiful Bill passage process at the beginning of July was political chaos, and our organization struggled to keep up with the bill’s proposals, the difference between the House and Senate revisions and the impact of the proposed changes on the justice-impacted individuals whom our organization helps. I tracked the bill for our organization and wrote a letter condemning the House version’s proposed cuts to the Pell Grant—I learned much later that the letter was distributed to RBIJ supporters. Specifically, the research was discussed with business leaders at Nike, and getting to track the impact of my work was exciting and rewarding.
How has this experience shaped your view of public service?
At a time when the federal political environment feels a bit polarized and bleak, I was so thankful to get to work on the state level. In working on Clean Slate and anti-death penalty initiatives in more than 10 states, I got to learn about the variation in legislative systems across the state level and to meet deeply passionate people. Exposure to policymakers who believe in the value of public service is an honor, and I am so thankful that the Pelosi Scholars Initiative supported me.
Drew Zacharias (SFS’27)
United States Indo-Pacific Command
Drew Zacharias (SFS’27) spent his summer in Hawaii interning with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM)—the U.S. Department of Defense’s unified combatant command responsible for military operations across the Indo-Pacific region. Working at INDOPACOM, Zacharias was immersed in a unique cultural and strategic environment in which Asian and Polynesian influences intersect with American infrastructure. His experience has highlighted the critical role of wargaming in defense planning, offering valuable insights into how this tool helps assess tactical, operational and strategic challenges in one of the world’s most dynamic and complex regions.
“Studying international relations theories takes on a whole new form when applying the lessons from the classroom of historical and contemporary background to practical military challenges on the ground,” Zacharias says.
What had the biggest impact on you during your internship?
The biggest impact came from seeing how complex and collaborative the decision-making process is at a combatant command. Working alongside both military and civilian personnel gave me a deeper appreciation for how diverse perspectives are integrated to address challenges in the Indo-Pacific. I gained insight into the unique difficulties the United States faces in the region, from the “tyranny of distance” to the importance of security agreements with the Compacts of Free Association states of Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. Recognizing these challenges is essential to understanding Indo-Pacific security, and this perspective will continue to shape how I approach my studies.
How did working in this field/your organization influence your career goals?
Before working at USINDOPACOM, I was determined to become a Foreign Service Officer with the State Department. However, getting exposure to the defense sector of international relations and seeing the opportunities available, I have begun to widen my understanding of the possibilities for a career in public service. I am examining job opportunities in the U.S. Department of War/Defense and in positions that involve civil-military relations. I realized there are so many more opportunities in the defense sphere that I hope to keep exploring through my remaining two years at Georgetown University.
How has this experience shaped your view of public service?
This experience has broadened my view of public service by showing me that it extends far beyond traditional government roles. At USINDOPACOM, I saw that public service can take many forms, from defending national interests to building partnerships, supporting allies and contributing to regional stability. I also realized how organizations like the U.S. Coast Guard, the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration play vital roles in advancing the mission, demonstrating the wide range of avenues through which one can serve.