Vanderbilt NROTC Student Selected for NIP Cambridge ISI Scholarship

Congratulations to Midshipman 1/C Sarah Rink, who was recently selected by the NIP Board for the Cambridge International Security and Intelligence (ISI) Programme Scholarship. Rink attends Vanderbilt University. NIP instituted the ISI scholarship in 2021to enable a newly commissioned 1830 ensign from the U.S. Naval Academy or a Naval ROTC unit to attend the one-month ISI Programme run by The Cambridge Security Initiative & The Department of War Studies, King’s College London. The scholarship covers the ISI tuition and board at Cambridge. This year’s program runs from 5 July to 1 August 2026. 

All midshipmen who are selected for intelligence (1830) are eligible to apply for the scholarship. In addition to Midshipman Rink, four other Navy ROTC midshipmen and five U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen were selected for intelligence this academic year. 

NIP Secretary Captain (Ret) Stephanie Leung traveled to Vanderbilt University on 14 February and met with Midshipman 1/C Rink to congratulate her. Leung also met up with another midshipman from the Vanderbilt unit, Midshipman 2/C Brooks Roach, who she has been mentoring. Sue Kalweit, a previous Director of Analysis at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency who is a friend of Leung’s and also a mentor of Midshipman Roach, originally connected Leung with Midshipman Roach due to her Navy connections. Vice Admiral (Ret) Kelly Aeschbach has also been involved in mentoring students at the Vanderbilt NROTC unit.

CAPT (Ret) Stephanie Leung (right) met up with MIDN 1/C Sarah Rink (left) at Vanderbilt University to congratulate her on her selection for the Cambridge ISI Scholarship, 14 Feb 2026.

Sue Kalweit, MIDN 2/C Brooks Roach, MIDN 1/C Sarah Rink, and CAPT (Ret) Stephanie Leung met up at Vanderbilt University on 14 Feb 2026.