Guest speakers on careers in law and intelligence:
Attorney John W. Davis, Jr., Howard University, Former Prosecutor with U.S. Justice Department
Peter Probst, Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. Department of Defense

After two weeks of orientation sessions taught by Dr. Bayer on the history, politics, and architecture of Washington along with ways to excel at internships, which were held on June 15 and 22 within the InterCultural Center (ICC) at Georgetown University in room 115, on June 29 class began with a session on interview techniques and public speaking led by Lev Berenbaum – who heads WIP’s recruiting efforts and also conducts mock interviews individually with students in preparation for phone and in-person interviews. Then two extraordinary talks were delivered on careers in law and intelligence. The first guest speaker was John W. Davis, Jr., former head of the Justice Department’s Homicide division in the Caribbean and coach for Howard University’s award-winning debate team. Attorney Davis spoke on “Character and Professional Integrity” in both public service and the private sector. Illustrated by stories from his personal life, like being shot after pursuing a murder indictment that was opposed by sources of corruption, Davis discussed the importance of hard work and the exercise of values in professional contexts. Peter Probst, who worked throughout his career for the Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of Defense, discussed the link between anthropology and espionage. With a Masters degree from Columbia University, Probst was detailed from the CIA to the Pentagon prior to his formation of a consulting firm specializing in counter-terrorism. Both men spoke passionately about their career paths and entertained questions. Receptions were held after every class throughout the year so interns could socialize with one another and meet speakers; on this evening, a particularly large reception of fine food was sponsored by WIP in the auditorium since a number of guests from MTV and politicians interested in the youth vote were also in attendance.

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