Veterans Civic Engagement students outdid themselves this semester, setting an example for how civilians throughout the U.S. can thank “our heroes” for their service.

More than 60 students participated in a race organized by our partner organization, Team Red, White & Blue (Team RWB) at 1:50 AM in Bethesda. Team RWB seeks to reintegrate veterans into society through physical exercise and social events.

When Anna Malka Gimenez and Daniella Cordioli, two international students attending Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM) in Brazil, first heard about TWC, they assumed all that was in store for them was a semester-long internship in Washington, D.C. But when TWC sat down with them to ask them about their experience, they recognized that their time in D.C. has been so much more than just completing an internship.

TWC: What were your expectations of Washington D.C. before you arrived here from Brazil?

The Fall 2012 International Festival took place in the Blinken Auditorium for the eighth time since TWC's Student Services and International Team launched the first one in the spring of 2009. The goal of the event is to provide international students with an opportunity to showcase cultural aspects from their home countries. The night included a number of activities including:

TWC once again celebrated its 50,000 alumni worldwide during the Fall 2012 Alumni Networking Reception, which takes place once each semester. The event took place at TWC Headquarters, where a mix of 60 students, alumni and professionals, enjoyed hors d'oerves, mingled and learned about a variety of career paths in fields ranging from law to government contracting. The night resulted in an opportunity for students to gain an insider’s perspective to multiple careers from alumni, both new and old.

The Ford Motor Company Global Scholars, Governors, and U.S.-Panama Initiative Programs attended an event at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), an international public health agency with nearly 110 years of experience working to improve health and living standards of countries in the Americas.  Each student had the opportunity to hear from PAHO's Regional Director of Health Promotion and the Senior Advisor for Millennium Development Goals (MDG) & Health Targets. The two speakers discussed:

An estimated 34 million people are living with HIV or AIDS, with a large number of this population residing in Sub-Saharan Africa. In an effort to help battle this deadly disease, TWC’s LGBTQA Civic Engagement Project raised over $600 for the Whitman Walker Health’s AIDS Walk. The event took place at the Freedom Plaza on Saturday, October 27th.

The U.S.-Panama Initiative program had the special opportunity to tour the Organization of American States (OAS), the world's oldest regional organization of the Americas. Members of the OAS include all 35 independent countries of the Americas including Panama. The Organization was established to achieve an order of peace and justice, promote solidarity, strengthen collaboration, and defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of the member countries.

“OMG”: the three letters that began many tweets during the Campaign 2012 seminar. Each day our students were introduced to people and ideas that inspired them in new ways. I expected to help them integrate all they were learning into a deeper understanding of politics and the political process. What I did not anticipate was the degree to which the students would have to be coached into setting aside their awe. On more than one occasion I felt like the proverbial pail of cold water tempering their enthusiasm.

The Impact of Faculty Leaders