Intern Spotlight: Mikaela ‘Mika’ Inadomi

By: Julia Simms

For many people change is difficult. The thought of straying away from a singular routine seems
daunting, but not for Mikaela Inadomi, her willingness to involve herself in new things led to her
position as Chief of Staff for the Johns Hopkins Model United Nations Conference for the 2018 -
2019 academic school year.

However, this role didn’t come easy. Inadomi had to work hard to move up the ranks, and that
hard work eventually paid off. Inadomi explained that her peers were her inspiration, “because
they come from different backgrounds they’ve taught me things I had little to no experience
with.”

Thanks to Johns Hopkins Model UN team and the effort Inadomi put forth her public speaking,
organization, teamwork, and communication skills are superb. As a rising senior studying
Political Science, Applied Math and Entrepreneurship & Management at Johns Hopkins
University she also plays a vital role on the Hopkins Varsity Tennis Team.

Prior to being a START intern, working with the

global terrorism database, Inadomi had an
interest in terrorism after completing an
independent study she did for the military
science department at Johns Hopkins this past
spring semester. During this independent study
Inadomi chose to focus her research on terrorism
and Indonesia. She tracked the group “Jemaah
Islamiyah” to assess how successful they will be
in the future based on the culture, politics and the
overall sentiment of Indonesia and how it has
Mikaela Inadomi at START Headquarters
evolved over time. Photo By: Julia Simms

Inadomi then wrote about those assessments. To her, “the idea of the caliphate throughout
Indonesia crossing into the Philippines was interesting.” So she worked closely with two of her
military science professors to plan, research and produce a final essay about Jemaah Islamiyah
and the spread of ISIS to Southeast Asia.
“Meeting with my professors allowed me to figure out what national security issues I was
interested in,” said Inadomi. For her, this independent study allowed her to understand her
interests deeper as well as improve her writing, strategic planning and critical thinking skills
when writing lengthy pieces and assessing the validity of academic sources.

These cherish able experiences opened Inadomi’s eyes to wanting to continue her work with the
intelligence community. She envisions a life surrounded by a challenging work environment that
requires “heightened responsibility and timeliness.”

“I want to solve complex problems that involve analyzing not only quantitative data but also
qualitative data. I want to work as a team to understand other people and I believe the
intelligence community can provide me with that fulfilment.”

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