This article is part of The Next Step series. While the four years at VMI are designed for cadets to push themselves academically, physically, and mentally to tackle the demands of life at a premiere military college, they also prepare cadets for life after graduation. Whether that life be one in the military or one in the private sector, VMI faculty and staff provide guidance to cadets along their journeys. One department specifically dedicated to that endeavor of post-Institute success is the Office of Career Services. In The Next Step series, we highlight cadets preparing to enter the workforce after graduation, as well as those still in the midst of their cadetship preparing for internships over the summer. 

LEXINGTON, Va. June 25, 2024 — An internship at the U.S. Army War College was something Earl Filgo ’25 wouldn’t pass up. It was not a particular goal he had been striving for, but something he was required to do to complete his national security minor.  

The international studies major from Jakarta, Indonesia, said he had applied to several other internships, but he was a little late to the game. He said thanks to the help of Col. Spencer D. Bakich, professor of international studies and the director of the National Security Program at VMI, he was able to gain an internship with the Army War College. He said without Bakich’s endorsement, he doesn’t believe he would have received the internship. 

“Being a VMI cadet was what opened up the door and brought me through the finish line with regards to obtaining this internship,” he said. “This internship with the Army War College is very much relevant to my future military career in the Army and I hope that it would make me stand out for my preferred branch of military intelligence." 

In his position, he will develop scenarios that will help the Army assess senior leaders’ ability to think strategically.  

Thanks to the opportunities and resources VMI has presented, Filgo has had great assistance to his personal and professional development.  

“I would not be where I am now if I had not gone to VMI, a commissioning track with an Army ROTC scholarship, the Institute Honors Program, and the various connections through alumni and faculty,” he said.  

In the next decade, he sees himself either retired from the Army, setting up a business in either the space or security sector, or continuing with his military career while being involved diplomatically as a military liaison in the U.S. State Department. All of which, he said, wouldn’t be possible without the inspiration he gained from his father.  

“My dad inspired me,” he said. “For most of my middle and high school years, I did not know what path to embark on, I was directionless, so I decided to start on a similar path as he did.”

Laura Peters Shapiro
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE