Jacqueline Pallardy
4305 Robin Lane
Tampa, Fl 33609
February 25, 2011
Stratfor, Corporate Headquarters
221 W. 6th Street, Suite 400
Austin, TX 78701
DearStratfor Representative:
Greetings from Tampa, Florida! My name is Jacqueline Pallardy. I am currently seeking a position at Stratfor as a Research Intern for the summer of 2011. I would like to share with you a little about my background and aim to begin a career in research; but first, I would like to thank you for taking the time to review my resume. Your consideration is extremely important to me.
As you will see, my background and training is grounded firmly in the liberal arts and the study of foreign languages. I began my studies at the University of Notre Dame, where I received a BA in Liberal Studies (a Great Books program). After graduation, I moved to Spain to study Spanish, and then to Madison to study Sanskrit in preparation for a masters degree in South Asian studies. I then entered the University of Texas at Austin’s Asian Cultures and Languages program, where I earned an MA. At Texas, I focused on educational history, religious politics, and the transmission of knowledge in northern South Asia. I took numerous courses in Hindi and Urdu languages, dialects, and literatures. As a part of myresearch projects, I spent over a year in India, acquiring advanced proficiencies in Hindi and Urdu. I also have experience working on South Asia as an analyst and intern for the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). As I indicate in my resume, I am recognized with various awards and honors for my study of foreign culture and media, and especially for my verbal and written communication in English.
My interest in Stratfor began while I was living in Austin as an area studies student. Someone recommended that I look into Stratfor for news and as a potential employer. I was immediately impressed by your publication’s detailed and un-politicized coverage of global events, especially those occurring in the Indian subcontinent and Afghanistan. I have been reading Stratfor since then (2007), and recommend it to my peers and colleagues within Academia and government. Now, however, I am ready to invest more time and energy to developing the skills necessary to begin a career within a research community such as Stratfor, which is dedicated to publishing cutting-edge, timely intelligence.
I have much to offer the Stratfor research team—from intense personal drive and creativity to resources on which to draw for necessary support. As mentioned above, I possess unique language skills, experience in different intelligence analyst communities, as well as access to a community of intellectuals in Austin and abroad with whom I am able to consult at any given time. In particular, I can to speak, read, write and interpret Hindi-Urduwith dictionary precision and idiomatic sensibility. I am familiar with the methods, aims and purpose of analytical research focused on counterterrorism and intelligence collection. I have lived in and thus understand South Asian culture from an everyday-life perspective. I also recognize that top-rate research requires increasingly sophisticated methods of source identification, selection, and analysis. I look forward to the chance to learn from your experts and advance the practices that make Stratfor so relevant and widely respected. Given my skill set and experience, I am sure that I have valuable contributions to offer, especially concerning issues on South Asia.
In short, my aim in seeking an internship with Stratfor is centered on my desire to learn from and be a part of a team renown for methodological rigor and intellectual excellence. This internship would also be a great opportunity for me to learn about the journalistic side of intelligence, strengthen my communication skills, increase knowledge of international affairs, and exercise my analytical abilities. I do, however, hope that Stratfor will benefit from my employment as well. I look forward to contributing my time and skills in an effort to expand Stratfor’s resources and make its product even better.
Thank you again for accepting my application materials. Please contact me at any time by phone or email. Please know that I am willing to travel to Austin for an interview and am, in general, geographically mobile.
I wish you the best of luck in the future!
Sincerely,
Jacqueline Pallardy
512-590-2397