Ranking Member Risch Welcomes Foreign Relations Committee Spring 2022 Interns

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, recently welcomed six new committee interns for the spring term.

“On behalf of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee minority, I’m happy to welcome a new group of ambitious interns for our spring term,” said Risch. “Today, Congress is facing an array of complex issues at home and abroad. These students will have the opportunity to experience how U.S. foreign policy shapes, mitigates, and tries to solve the challenges of today. From the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, to tensions in Eastern Europe, combating malign international actors like China and Russia, and defending human rights, there are endless opportunities to engage and learn. I’m confident they will do an excellent job.”

The SFRC interns this spring are:

Cole Ireland

Meridian, Idaho

Cole graduated with honors from Johns Hopkins University in May of 2021. He majored in international studies, economics, and Spanish with a minor in history. He is interested in international relations, economic policy, domestic policy, history, languages, music, fine art, travel, and outdoor sports. Cole would like to pursue a career related to diplomacy and aspires to one day become the U.S. Secretary of State.

Sam Abodo

Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire; New York City, N.Y.

Sam will graduate next year from Carnegie Mellon University and is interested in Africa security, U.S.-China-Africa relations, U.S. naval policy, and terrorism studies. Sam aspires to join the Navy Reserves after graduation, and is hopeful to one day work with the National Security Council or as a Department of Defense or State Department appointee in international security.

Teryn Scott

Columbus, Ohio

Teryn currently attends Miami University and is interested in public diplomacy, East Asia, Central America, human rights, energy policy, and environmental policy. Additionally, she enjoys architecture and opera studies. Teryn is a bilingual Spanish speaker and future career goals include teaching English as a foreign language abroad and taking the Foreign Service exam.

Jake Kerman

Palo Alto, Calif.

Jake received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Middlebury College and is currently an M.A. candidate in security studies at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service. After college, Jake spent time working for the Congressional Budget Office. He is interested in economic diplomacy, great power competition, defense planning, and espionage. Jake’s long-term career goals are to work as a government analyst for economic and/or defense policy in an intelligence agency, within Congress, or the Department of Defense.

Andrew Davidson

Yorktown, Va.

Andrew will graduate next year with a bachelor’s degree from Hillsdale College. His areas of interest include government, grand strategy, law, and linguistics. Andrew hopes to spend a gap year in Taiwan to learn Mandarin, and then pursue a law degree with hopes of becoming a judge.

Dean Saridakis

Vero Beach, Fla.

Dean is attending Wake Forest University in pursuit of a major in politics and international affairs with a minor in economics. His areas of interest include global health, international trade, and multilateral institutions. Dean hopes to one day work in either international, health, or trade law.

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