A Launchpad for Engagement: An ARIN Fellowship Program Experience
As a first-time in-person Fellow for ARIN 56, I had the opportunity to participate in a complete learning journey: pre- and post-virtual Fellowship sessions, three days of NANOG 95, and two days of the ARIN 56 Public Policy and Members Meeting, in Arlington, Texas.
The pre-meeting Fellowship sessions deserve special praise. They provided a structured introduction to the organization, ARIN’s Policy Development Process and the policies on the ARIN 56 docket, and more — all supported by mentorship from experienced community members.
The combination of plenary briefings and small-group mentorship sessions helped bridge the gap between reading the Number Resource Policy Manual and actually understanding why the text is written the way it is. NANOG 95 highlighted the operational side of Internet infrastructure. The event gathered network operators, engineers, and architects to discuss topics such as routing, security, automation, and data-center design. ARIN’s presence in the program — especially the ARIN Update and the “Understanding ARIN Policy: What It Means for You” session — made explicit the link between registry policy and day-to-day network operations, from IPv6 deployment strategies to Resource Public Key Infrastructure and routing security. The community activities at NANOG lowered the barriers to meeting people and hearing their real-world challenges around address management and routing.
ARIN 56 itself provided a concentrated lesson in community-driven governance. Day one combined organizational updates, a keynote address, and substantial policy discussion. I found the debates around ARIN-2024-5 (micro-allocations), ARIN-2025-1 (ISP and LIR definitions), and ARIN-2025-3 and ARIN-2025-8 (out-of-region use and in-region reservations) particularly educational because they illustrated how policy must balance operational flexibility, fairness, and stewardship of finite resources. Additionally, Geoff Huston’s “Internet Evolution and IPv6” keynote was a highlight of the day, tying empirical data and long-term trends to the policy questions under discussion.
Day two of ARIN 56 reinforced ARIN’s accountability and global context through the Financial Report and Routing Security updates, Address Supporting Organization Address Council and Number Resource Organization Executive Council updates, and the “State of the [Regional Internet Registry] System” presentation. The Open Microphone sessions across both days were powerful demonstrations of transparency: Members could question reports, critique proposals, and suggest improvements in real time. As a Fellow, I appreciated how our Mentors encouraged us to prepare at least one comment or question, even if we ultimately chose not to speak.
From a newcomer’s perspective, the ARIN Fellowship Program offers a strong foundation for ongoing participation in this community. I close with sincere thanks to ARIN for selecting me as an ARIN 56 Fellow; to the program coordinators for designing and running such an effective program; to the travel team for managing flight and accommodation details so smoothly; and to all ARIN members, Mentors, Advisory Council and Board of Trustees volunteers, and staff who gave their time, shared their expertise, and welcomed us into the community. Their combined efforts made the ARIN 56 Fellowship Program not only a success, but a launchpad for my continued engagement in Internet number resource policy and governance.
Ready to experience the ARIN Fellowship for yourself? Apply for the ARIN 57 program by 26 January! For details and application instructions, visit our Fellowship Program page.
Any views, positions, statements, or opinions of a guest blog post are those of the author alone and do not represent those of ARIN. ARIN does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or validity of any claims or statements, nor shall ARIN be liable for any representations, omissions, or errors contained in a guest blog post.
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