Photo provided Megan Gilson, an incoming sophomore at Berkley High School, attended a five-day seminar at Trinity College in Washington, D.C., this summer.

Berkley student attends summer seminar in Washington, D.C.

By Jeremy Selweski
C & G Staff Writer

BERKLEY — Not too many 15-year-olds are well-versed on the topics of global issues, national security, terrorism and the U.S. intelligence system, but incoming Berkley High School sophomore Megan Gilson is not just any 15-year-old.

A 4.0-GPA student with a passion for current events, Gilson was fortunate enough this summer to attend a special seminar that was available to only 25 top high school sophomores, juniors and seniors across the nation.

From July 14 to 18, the five-day program was held by the Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence at Trinity College in Washington, D.C. The focus of the seminar was on the national security system, the elements of national power, the ways in which lawmakers approach international issues and how the intelligence community assists the federal government in making critical decisions.

Gilson said that her decision to apply for the seminar was due in large part to her favorite class last year at BHS. “I took Global Issues in ninth-grade, and I liked it a lot,” she said. “We learned all about intelligence; it became something that I’m considering as a possible career choice.”

Her dad, Jim, was actually the one who discovered the program while he was “just wandering around on the Internet one day.” After reading up on it, he thought it would be a great opportunity for his ambitious daughter, and Megan was immediately excited about the idea, too.

For Jim, the seminar seemed to promote a very modern, enlightened perspective on international issues. “The world is becoming so much smaller nowadays,” he said. “It’s imperative that you know about other cultures and that you travel. We need to think beyond just Michigan — to think globally, not just locally.”

In addition to hearing guest speakers, students at the seminar got the chance to visit the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) headquarters in Langley, Va., as well as the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. The program also served as a way to introduce the students to college life, as they stayed in dorm rooms at Trinity throughout the trip.

Megan said that she felt “very lucky” to be selected among such an elite group of students, as the high-demand program only accepts high schoolers with at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA who have been recommended by a school teacher or guidance counselor.

Fortunately for her, her Global Issues teacher, Ira Goldberg, wrote her a glowing endorsement.

“Megan is such a fine representative of what the Berkley School District strives for with its students,” Goldberg said. “She’s smart, thoughtful, articulate and well-spoken — just a really sweet girl. It was simply a no-brainer to write a letter of recommendation of the highest order for her.”

Goldberg believes that Gilson has “a whole universe of opportunities” at her fingertips when it comes to her career choices. “It’s going to be really exciting to see what direction she chooses for her future,” he said. “With Megan, it’s very clear that she’s a global citizen. She can do whatever she wants in her life because she wants to make a difference right now. She wants to take responsibility for her world and her future.”

It certainly helps that she makes a concerted effort to keep herself informed about current events. But for Gilson, doing so has always been a choice rather than an obligation.

“I like to know what’s going on in the world,” she said. “I think people should pay closer attention to the news. Our generation will be responsible for dealing with everything that’s going on right now.”

And it’s exactly that positive attitude that also leads her to aim high with her career choices. “I could see myself getting a job with the (federal) government in the medical field or the intelligence field. This trip pointed me in that direction.”

Goldberg is proud of Gilson for taking this kind of bold initiative at such a young age, and he feels that the Washington, D.C., seminar could prove to be an invaluable learning tool for her.

“This is such a fantastic, rewarding experience, and it will have immediate benefits,” he said. “Megan is part of the big puzzle, and this is a great opportunity for her to see how she fits into that puzzle, to see what contributions she can make. This is definitely an area she can succeed in.”

You can reach Staff Writer Jeremy Selweski at jselweski@candgnews.com or at (586) 218-5004.