Military personnel and U.S. college students have limited opportunities to interact, but a program at Stanford University is working to bridge that gap. The Hoover National Security Affairs Fellows (NSAF) Mentorship Program brings together about 30 undergraduate students each year with fellows from the military, law enforcement, diplomatic, and intelligence communities.
Amy Zegart, the Morris Arnold and Nona Jean Cox Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, initiated the mentorship component after noticing how rare it was for military professionals to spend time on civilian campuses. “I remember a couple years ago, one of our fellows came and he told me this was the very first time he had ever set foot on a civilian university campus,” Zegart said. “[It] really spoke to how unusual this experience was, and so I wanted these two communities who don’t usually interact with each other to understand one another.”
Each fellow is paired with two or three students for the academic year. The group meets every other week in seminars covering topics such as deployment, family life, and the structure of national security agencies. In weeks without seminars, smaller group meetings allow for more direct mentorship on coursework and career advice. Students also participate in activities ranging from campus events to field trips like visits to military installations.
Students are selected based on academic achievement and commitment to remain in residence all year; preference goes to those without prior exposure to military or related fields. Zegart emphasized that the program aims not only for shared seminar time but also for building a diverse community interested in U.S. foreign policy: “The idea isn’t just to have that one hour of seminar time together,” she said. “It’s to build a community of students across all different majors [and] all different class years with varying exposure to U.S. foreign policy but who are all interested in learning more about U.S. foreign policy and engaging in this community.”
Fellows gain insight into student perspectives on America’s global role and ways to attract young people into national security careers.
Ana Agarwal, an international relations student mentored by Col. Jerome C. Greco (U.S. Marines), valued learning about his deployments and receiving help with her research on drone integration in the military. Greco connected her with contacts at the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), which works on adopting commercial technologies for defense needs.
Cayden Gu, a computer science student mentored by State Department diplomat Stephen P. Goldrup, recounted Goldrup’s efforts organizing President George W. Bush’s attendance at a church service during a 2008 visit to China as an example of creative problem-solving in diplomacy: “Even though this wasn’t something that needed to happen, he thought that this would be something that would be good for developing our relationship with China,” Gu said.
For recent graduate Piper Holland, discussions with Col. Greco opened up new career possibilities in international relations: “Every single thing I’ve ever done at Stanford all leads to a career in public policy, and I had no idea,” Holland said.
First-year student Anika Yadav described how her mentor Col. Thomas N. Garner (U.S. Army) helped her adjust to life far from home: “The relationship really transformed into something that felt almost like a second family,” she said.
Lt. Col. Melinda Acuña (U.S. Army), another fellow, reflected on how mentoring showed her younger generations respect those who serve: “I realize our youth [are] not who we think,” Acuña said.
Soraya Johnson joined because of her interest in Middle Eastern politics and credited Acuña’s support for helping her engage confidently with experts: “[The lunches] foster curiosity and encourage us to ask questions that in other contexts might be seen as inflammatory or result in very politicized responses,” Johnson said.
She added that seeing mentors’ dedication inspired her during challenging times for public service: “Right now, it’s a difficult time to stay motivated in the public service… but seeing the genuineness in our mentors inspires me.”
The NSAF Mentorship Program continues its effort each year to connect leaders from security fields with Stanford undergraduates through discussion and shared experiences.
