Agent engagement offered by academy

For the third consecutive year, the University of North Georgia (UNG) provided high school students a glimpse into the field of intelligence through the eyes of former and current agents.

Over 40 rising sophomores, juniors and seniors attended the National Intelligence Summer Academy (NISA) from July 15-19. The experience included four days on UNG's Cumming Campus and one day on the Dahlonega Campus and was funded through UNG's Cadet Leadership Academy (CLA). 

Jackson County High School senior Sara Salah was curious about the intelligence community and attended to learn more.

"For the longest time I wanted to be a lawyer, later possibly joining the intelligence community," she said. "My knowledge was based off television shows and movies, so it wasn't very accurate. I also knew that if I wanted to pursue this career path, and experience something like this in the future, the academy was the perfect opportunity."

Salah was impressed to be able to dispel misconceptions, including the idea that agents all look a certain way or act in a specific manner, she said. 

"I love that you don’t have to be a field agent and there are different people who can join such agencies. It’s not as hard as it is believed to be," Salah said.

Salah, who grew up in the Middle East, shared that there is a very negative perspective of American intelligence agencies in other countries. She added that she wanted to see what the intelligence community was like from an American perspective and compare it to see what is true and what is not. She came away believing she'd enjoy working in the environment.

"I've seen why people in the Middle East would think this is a negative thing, but I can see a way to improve that thinking," Salah said. "People in intelligence agencies are trying to improve the vision of how they are perceived throughout the world, and I think I can contribute to that long term."

Salah believes that her love of puzzle-solving and her critical thinking skills would be an asset in her career.

"Working in intelligence, you keep trying to solve a problem by thinking about it from perspectives, which helps with collecting intel as an analyst. Thinking from different perspectives can help answer the key question provided by the client, and it can help a field agent by advising a plan for different situations and approaches," Salah said. "Critical thinking is important in any career field to make good decisions and judgments." 

Dr. Edward Mienie, executive director of the strategic and security studies bachelor's degree program and partnerships and professor, together with CLA created the academy, which is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation.  

"By attending the academy, students enjoyed a high-level opportunity to explore whether they would enjoy a career in the intelligence community by being exposed to the fascinating and multifaceted nature of intelligence,” Mienie said. "Having guest speakers representing a multitude of agencies in the operational and analytic domains, students had an opportunity to interact with them in the classroom and during breaks. Students learned the importance of developing critical thinking skills, which is imperative for a successful career in intelligence. In fact, this is a skill that can be used toward success in any career."

UNG offers intelligence-related bachelor's degree programs including strategic and security studies, cybersecurity, computer science and information systems, and environmental and spatial analysis..