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The Spotlight

The Spotlight

Written by: SDSU ISCOR
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About this listen

The Spotlight is the official podcast of the San Diego State University International Security and Conflict Resolution program. Season 2 is brought to you by Purnell Strom, Josephine Hall, and their beloved professor, Dr. Latha Varadarajan. The Spotlight prides itself on its unique approach to international relations by incorporating a wide array of perspectives. The goal is to shine a spotlight (get it!) on events related to international security and conflict by examining them from unique perspectives that many feel do not get the recognition they deserve.

2025
Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • From JAG to Justice: The Leadership Journey of Matt Benson
    Dec 10 2025

    In this episode, I sit down with Matt Benson—a Navy JAG Corps veteran, former federal prosecutor, and national security law practitioner who now leads his own private law firm—to trace a career built at the intersection of service and law. We talk about how his path from professional basketball in Germany to the JAG Corps, to the Navy Reserves, and finally to founding Benson Law APC reveals the unexpected ways leadership and legal expertise evolve across sectors. For listeners exploring public policy, military service, or government work, Matt offers a rare, grounded look at how a life of service can transform into meaningful impact in and beyond uniform.

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    38 mins
  • Threat Multiplier | Sherri Goodman
    Dec 5 2025

    Hosts Chandria Arboleda and Sophia Hansen sit down with Sherri Goodman, the Pentagon’s first deputy undersecretary of defense for environmental security, to discuss how climate change became understood as a “threat multiplier.” Goodman’s career—shaping the intersection of environmental sustainability and national security, and demonstrating feminist leadership in traditionally male-dominated institutions—offers a compelling lens on climate, resilience, and global cooperation, aligning closely with the forward-looking work of the ISCOR program.

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    35 mins
  • SDSU's Graduate Program in Homeland Security | Professor Robert Harkins and Alice Wilshire
    Dec 5 2025

    Hosts Chandria Arboleda and Sophia Hansen sit down with Professor Robert Harkins, former DEA agent turned SDSU Faculty Lecturer, and Alice Wilshire, Homeland Security master’s student, about AI in security, post-grad opportunities, and the reminder that the day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit. Together, they explore how real-world experience, academic insight, and student perspectives intersect to prepare the next generation of security professionals.

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    1 hr and 13 mins
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