Benjamin T•••

About

On the record

I have a strong passion for international affairs and learning languages. I have previously have had the opportunity to build on my passions by studying abroad in China and Brazil. After spending two months at FAAP in São Paulo and Tianjin Foreign Studies University as well as a semester at Sichuan University I have experience of living and studying abroad. I l also had the opportunity of gaining international work experience in the Summer of 2018 by interning at Sidera Consult in São Paulo. All of these opportunities have allowed me to learn how to adapt to different environments and live in a different culture. In Spring 2019, I graduated from Rhodes College with a bachelor's degree in International Studies and Chinese Studies. Because of my passion for East Asia, I worked as an Assistant Language Teacher with the Japan Exchange & Teaching Program in Yamanashi Prefecture for three years. While living in Japan, I also had the opportunity to work as a project coordinator with AEC, which works on construction projects on US military bases in Japan. This experience has given me the opportunity to show that I can adapt to new working environments as well as a chance to learn the Japanese language. I am currently seeking my masters degree with the Texas A&M Bush School in DC's National Security & Intelligence program. My interests are East Asian and Latin American comparative politics, political ideology, history, IR theory, security strategy and maritime security. To further add to my research experience, I participated in a virtual research internship with the Honolulu-based Pacific Forum. In this internship, I researched a variety of issues affecting the Indo-Pacific region such as maritime security issues, defense alliances and domestic politics of China and Japan. I am aiming to pass the Japanese Language Proficiency Test N1, which is the highest level.