Donate to The Alexander Hamilton Society

Ashley Rhoades

As one of the chairs of the AHS DC professional chapter, I'm proud to say that the Alexander Hamilton Society provides much more than the typical DC networking experience. While the opportunity to engage with high-level defense and foreign policy officials as speakers and mentors is undoubtedly a perk, I have found just as much value in the network of peers and close friendships I've developed. In a city where the only constant is change, AHS has managed to cultivate an enduring community of individuals brought together by a love for America and commitment to Hamiltonian principles.

Callahan Stoub

As a kid who grew up in rural Michigan, I always had an interest in foreign policy but no family connections or industry insights to figure out how to get to DC. Joining the Hillsdale College AHS chapter changed the trajectory of my dreams and made them a reality. When I graduated and moved to DC, I had an instant group of friends and mentors that wouldn't exist anywhere else. Today, I stay connected through the professional chapter. The professional development opportunities are great, but more than anything I know AHS is preparing future national security leaders, and I believe it is one of the best investments I can make for a safer, stronger United States.

David Rader

AHS is unique in foreign policy and national security circles in Washington DC because it is the only professional organization that convenes both world leaders and future leaders for private, candid, and open engagements on today's most pressing topics. It is easy to hear a former Secretary of Defense speak at a venue about the world around them, but it is very rare to have dinner with him later that day and talk through his decision-making process, his biggest motivations throughout his career, and his biggest missteps. AHS is the best place in Washington to have a seat at that dinner table.

Ian Merritt

I participated in all four of the Alexander Hamilton Society’s Security and Strategy Seminars on Iran, China, Russia, and defense policy from 2020 to 2024. Participating in SSS provided an incredible experience to learn and engage with an impressive range of foreign and defense policy experts and practitioners, in both the guest speakers and the other fellows, that deepened my understanding of the geopolitical challenges facing the United States. I also developed lasting connections and friendships through the seminars that continue to have an impact on my work and career.

Junie Park

The Alexander Hamilton Society has been pivotal throughout my academic, professional, and intellectual endeavors in college. AHS's programming helped students who are interested in foreign affairs like me explore the professional and intellectual landscape of the policy world beyond the classroom. Most importantly, I found my core group of friends and colleagues that have lasted beyond college at AHS.

Vince Cone

As a former college chapter president, Security and Strategy Seminar fellow, and current professional chapter member, I've experienced firsthand the range of AHS's exemplary programming and its steadfast commitment to promoting America's role on the world stage. The quality of its chapter officers, professional members, and staff are unmatched by any other national security-focused membership organization. I, along with many of my peers and colleagues, am far better equipped to tackle the foreign policy challenges facing our country today because of the invaluable work by AHS and its alumni.

Pranav Pattatathunaduvil

AHS has truly changed my life -- I came into Yale as a freshman with a deep passion for foreign policy and national security, but it was only after attending an AHS speaker event that I was connected to one of my closest mentors today and received a DC internship opportunity that jumpstarted my professional development. Since then, AHS has helped me find friends, mentors, job opportunities, fellowships, and so much more in the national security space, and I'm extremely grateful -- I know I, and so many others, wouldn't be where we are today without all the support that AHS has given us.

Zach Welch

The Alexander Hamilton Society has been the single most formative community in my pursuit of American grand strategy. From founding the Wheaton College chapter to moderating panels with leading scholars and hosting a student reading group on U.S.–China relations, AHS gave me both the intellectual framework and the leadership platform to grow. It has shaped not just what I believe about American power—but the kind of person I hope to be in stewarding it.

Elliot Seckler

My involvement with AHS began in 2016 and has spanned nearly a decade-from leading a chapter in college and graduate school, to participating in the Security and Strategy Seminar, and now as a professional chapter member. AHS has been central to developing my interest and career in foreign policy and national security. Events at Johns Hopkins shaped my thinking on America’s global role, and throughout my time with AHS, I’ve built lasting relationships and found a supportive, dynamic community. Through programs like SSS and the professional chapters, AHS has given me opportunities to connect, publish, and engage deeply with the most pressing national security issues. I’m confident my ongoing involvement with AHS will continue to prepare me-and my peers-to make meaningful contributions in the field.

Wilson Shirley

The Alexander Hamilton Society offers the serious education, impressive networks, and lasting friendships that America’s great universities once fostered. Joining the Northwestern student chapter was one of the best decisions I made on campus, and staying involved through the Security and Strategy Seminar in DC and now the New York chapter has been one of the best decisions I’ve made as a professional. If you want to deepen your understanding of America and all the good it does in the world, get involved with AHS.

Samantha DeCosta

The Alexander Hamilton Society has been instrumental in making my dream of working on U.S. foreign policy a reality. Before I became involved in AHS, I wished I could be a part of the "DC world" and connect with like-minded peers and mentors, but I did not even know where to start. From engaging in my chapter's roundtable discussions, local fellowship, and speaker events, receiving financial support and educational enrichment through the Hamilton National Fellowship, putting out my first ever publication in the Hamiltonian journal, and ultimately leading the UC Berkeley chapter as president and advocating for the organization and its mission to any student who would listen, AHS has opened so many doors for me. Thanks to AHS, I am prepared for a career in public service, with a robust, principled foundation and a vast network of friends and role models.