“There is no country in the world that cares more about the issues we care about; that helps the nations and peoples that we help; that commits the resources we commit to meet pervasive threats to global security.” finish in nationals during his senior year. He also travelled with fellow students to Washington, D.C. to interview decisionmakers on campaign finance reform; it was there that he learned how to examine an issue from different perspectives. After working construction for two summers, Rodriguez took a well-tread Delbarton path to a finance summer internship following his junior year. He learned much about the banking system but says now, “At the end of the internship, I could confidently say at that time that finance was not a career choice for me.” Back at Williams that fall, he tried unsuccessfully to land a job with the federal government. Influenced by his father’s example, he taught math at Delbarton that summer, then became a math teacher at a parochial school for a year. Still, he could not shake the feeling that government was where he belonged.
degree he applied again for a job with U.S. intelligence and, after navigating one of the most rigorous application processes in the world, he was offered a job. Next stop was Washington, D.C., where he would work for the government and complete his Ph.D. Assignment: Iraq After intensive training in writing for and briefing top level policymakers, Rodriguez’s focus from 2005 to 2008 was on al-Qa’ida’s presence in Iraq. During the height of the war he worked closely with other analysts examining the terrorist network’s global franchises, and developed strategies for defeating the organization. In fall 2006, Rodriguez volunteered to go to Iraq to support American troops in their counterterrorism
On to South Bend Rodriguez applied to graduate programs, and Notre Dame, with small classes and accessible professors, seemed a great fit. South Bend’s cost of living was affordable, the sports were exciting to watch and the Department of Political Science offered him a full tuition grant. He spent the next six years earning both an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science, with a concentration in American Politics and International Relations. His thesis, Hail to The Chief, addressed the political effectiveness of Americans presidents James K. Polk, Zachary Taylor, Benjamin Harrison, and Grover Cleveland. Although he considered pursuing a professorship, mid-way through his graduate
Chris Rodriguez in Baghdad, fall 2006.
In Iraq, fall 2006.
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