Two members of the CIB were among five Coastal Carolina University students who were accepted to this year’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Collegiate Academy. The FBI Collegiate Academy is a prestigious and selective program for university undergraduates, designed to familiarize promising future security and intelligence professionals with the mission of the FBI and bring them in contact with recruiters. This was the third consecutive year that students from Coastal Carolina University were selected to participate in this federal initiative.

Selected students from all across the state of South Carolina traveled to Columbia and attended the all-day event on Thursday, February 12. Participating students were offered insights into FBI careers, hearing from special agents and professional staff about careers in the areas of cyber security threats, weapons of mass destruction, intelligence/counterintelligence, criminal behavior, investigating and solving cases, the SWAT Team, the Evidence Response Team, and career opportunities.

One of the CIB members who participated in the Academy was Senior Analyst and member of the CIB’s Africa Desk, Madison B. Speaking about her experience, Madison said that, “overall, the FBI Collegiate Academy provided good insight into how a field office operates on a daily basis. Due to the current hiring freeze, it was less of a networking experience and more of an overall learning experience, but there was a panel of agents from different fields and backgrounds that we were able to speak to and connect with.”

When asked what advice she would give to CIB members who are interested in applying for the Collegiate Academy in the future, Madison noted that the Academy main focuses on the criminal investigation side of national security, and less on intelligence analysis. She went on to say: “I personally am more interested in analysis work myself, but this experience was still enjoyable to learn about other aspects of federal careers. Ranging from the bomb squad and the SWAT team to forensic investigators and technology experts, the Academy covered various different fields and career paths.”

Lastly, Madison encouraged her fellow CIB members to apply for next year’s Academy: “Even if you’re nervous about rejection, I would strongly suggest applying anyway. It was a relatively large group of people from all over the state of South Carolina. It’s also important to have as many similar experiences as the Academy under your belt as possible, and it looks especially good on a resume.”

Applications for the next FBI Collegiate Academy are expected to go out in late August 2026.