Student Highlight: Matthew Woodin
We are pleased to announce that MIAGE student Matthew Woodin has been awarded the Chad and Laura Stoker Family Scholarship, which is awarded to an outstanding veteran.
Matthew began graduate studies with the MIAGE program in fall 2011. He graduated on the Dean's List with three undergraduate degrees from the University of Utah, including a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees in International Studies and Middle East Studies: Arabic. Following his undergraduate studies, Matthew enlisted in the United States Army as an all-source intelligence analyst. He graduated as one of the top three students, out of more than 150 people, from the United States Army School of Intelligence at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona. He has been the recipient of a Post Critical Language Scholarship for Arabic and the United States Department of State and National Security Language Initiative Critical Language Scholarship for Intensive Arabic study in Alexandria, Egypt. Matthew was the Vice President for the University of Utah Model Arab League and the outstanding delegate for the 2009 Regional Model Arab League to represent domestic and international Lebanese politics on the Council on Political Affairs. During his education, he has been asked on several occasions to put his education on hold to deploy to various "hotspots" worldwide.
Matthew is currently with the 1st Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group. Matthew plans to move into the Military Intelligence Corps as a Second Lieutenant in the next few months. Matthew noted that "in order to be an effective Intelligence officer, one must understand the nuances of how different pieces of the world operate…. [M]y desired career choice affords me the chance to give back, in many different ways, for the many opportunities given to me. This would not be possible without the MIAGE program, which has been excellent in preparing me to interact with a constantly evolving and globalized world in meaningful ways…. Gaining deeper perspectives about the challenges and opportunities in a rapidly globalizing world from the MIAGE program has been crucial in assisting other soldiers who are currently deployed worldwide. Working as part of support elements in counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, and humanitarian operations requires an intimate knowledge of geopolitics and economics worldwide."