Now more than ever, students have a hard time honing in on where they want to work and what they want to do for the rest of their lives. And now more than ever, a new generation of Americans is having an extremely difficult time. This problem is prevalent among students whose interests fall within the social sciences, especially those who pursue a degree without a defined specialization.

The benefits of experiential opportunities

Starting a brand new internship at The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminar (TWC) is exciting for any new student. Whether that student is traveling domestically or internationally to participate in either a 10-week or 15-week internship, a few things are always guaranteed:

The Washington Center was featured in "Grooming a new generation of leaders," an online article by The Hill.

The piece features two alumni, Geoff Schaefer ('07) and Katie O'Connell ('05), who reminisce about their days as interns in Washington, D.C. Both alumni credit The Washington Center with helping them find tailor-made internships pertaining to their interests and helping them fill their resumes with experience that led them to careers they're passionate about.

[Read the full article]

TWC's Alumni Networking Reception took place at the Residential Academic Facility. The networking event included a diversity of alumni and current spring interns, in addition to one of the most unique speakers that TWC has ever hosted: matchmaker and 1984 TWC alumna, Christie Nightingale, who runs Premier Match. Premier Match is an upscale, matchmaking service with locations in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.

Career Path

TWC alumni enjoyed a brown bag lunch with the Postgraduate Professional Development Program (PPDP). TWC welcomed two alumni from 2005, Michael Venn and Katie O'Connell. Michael currently works as the technical assistant to the executive vice president for Electronic Systems at Lockheed Martin, while Katie has been a media relations associate at NAFSA since September 2008.

[View the spring 2012 Programming album on our Flickr channel]

The Cordova Congressional Internship Program and the Political Leadership Program enjoyed a distinguished panel of speakers who discussed the relationships between lobbyists and legislators and how they promote policy-making.

The panel