International Studies Stories

Rye Jackson ’28, an international studies major and computer science minor at Virginia Military Institute, is researching drone detection for his 12-week Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI) project, “A Multi-Modal Survey of Drone Detection Methods: Acoustic, Visual, RF, and Fusion Approaches.”

National security and intelligence work has always fascinated Rachel Baez ’28. Now, she gets to apply that interest into gaining real world experience.

Owen Johns ’28 has always been interested in how the world works, which is what drew him to an international studies major at Virginia Military Institute.

Balancing 20 credit hours, Division I athletics, and the demands of ROTC is no small task, but for Isabelle Haer ’28, that challenge is exactly the point. Haer was drawn to VMI for its framework, closeknit environment, along with the opportunity to pursue both athletics and a potential commission.

Josiah Farrell ’28 spent his summer in Taiwan through the NCCU Huayu BEST Chinese program, turning his goal of becoming a U.S. diplomat into real-world language experience.

Col. J. Patrick Rhamey, professor in the Department of International Studies and Political Science, examines the overwhelming majority of analyses explaining the motivations for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine being not only wrong, but leading to terrible predictions of Russia’s inevitable success.

With a full academic load, leadership responsibilities, and a Division I sport, Evelyn Anderson ’27 manages one of the busiest schedules in the Corps — and she’s still pushing herself to grow.

Two Virginia Military Institute Honors cadets, John Paul Adams ’27, an English major, and Aleck Tiller ’27, an international studies major, presented at the Southern Humanities Conference.

VMI welcomes Vladimir Chlouba, Ph.D., assistant professor of leadership studies at the University of Richmond’s Jepson School of Leadership Studies, for a lecture titled, “Displaced but Not Forgotten: The Aterritorial Legacy of the Namibian Genocide.”

Lt. Col. Tim Passmore recently published an article addressing the effect of populist government on international cooperation in International Studies Quarterly, a peer-reviewed academic journal of international studies and an official journal of the International Studies Association.

Morgan Fraser ’27 talks about her time abroad with the Spanish language program in Madrid, during the Summer of 2025.

Ryan Getgood ’26 talks about his experience in the Huayu BEST program, which allowed him to study at National Chengchi University in Taipei, Taiwan.

Andrew Weston ’24 said he was inspired to dive into the diplomatic world thanks to his father. He also credits his interest in history and international studies to him. It also wasn’t until he had participated in Model United Nations that he found an interest in learning and debating.

Jeremiah Wilks ’25, an international studies major from VMI, originally planned to attend law school but was inspired during his time at the Institute to commission into the U.S. Army as an infantry officer.

Christian Walker ’25 initially had no plans to attend law school but discovered a passion for law during his second year at VMI through coursework and mentorship from Maj. Tim Passmore.