Rikki Stutsman, special agent.

This may be how the graduating Stillwater Christian School senior will introduce herself after college.

A sense of duty to protect her country is one reason Stutsman is pursuing an interdisciplinary major in international relations and psychology, with an emphasis on foreign language, at George Washington University’s Elliot School of International Affairs in Washington, D.C.

“I really want to work in a career where I can observe others,” Stutsman said. “I think the most fulfilling would be work to protect others, and I think that field would be a good way to do that.”

She has a head start in the language department after studying Spanish for three years and last summer studying French with a tutor.

“Probably the languages I’m most interested in studying [in college] are French and Arabic,” Stutsman said.

There are different career routes her major could take her, but she is considering a career in federal law enforcement that will take her abroad. That means she’s considering a variety of agencies: the FBI, CIA, Homeland Security or Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

She knows that there will be years after college dedicated to internships, extensive background checks and training.

“I’m going to look immediately for an internship to help me develop top-level security permits,” Stutsman said.

From there, she is ready for the extensive training required of federal agents, working around the clock and putting her life on the line.

“I’m prepared for the exhaustive training and exhaustive hours,” Stutsman said.

She has been preparing for this since she was 16.

“I basically decided this is what I wanted to do when I was 16 and I discovered a degree program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. It was global security and intelligence major and that’s what got me really interested in this field of work.”

Embry-Riddle was the first school she applied to and was accepted. She chose George Washington University, however, when she found its program would suit her educational goals and she would be closer to a host of internship opportunities  — plus she would be living in Washington, D.C.

Stutsman longs to study abroad during college. She took her first trip abroad last year with her Stillwater classmates to Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

“I’ve been looking at a program in Morocco, and I’m really interested in studying in France sometime,” Stutsman said. “I want to become more worldly, experience life and [different] cultures.”

Whatever countries she ends up studying and working in, this National Honor Society student is motivated to work in a field filled with intelligence and intrigue.