I always had a penchant for politics, but I wasn’t always interested in getting directly involved. Friendly debates, engaging with the media, and showing up on Election Day were enough.  My undergraduate courses were spread pretty evenly between English literature, American studies, and architecture.  People and their environment were what interested me.

My Road to the DNC and Inauguration

Why Choose The Washington Center?

As a Washington Center faculty leader and an associate professor of political science, I am committed to exposing my students to experiential learning opportunities in government so that they can gain a more in-depth understanding of the political process. I believe that it is essential that students are exposed to politics and participate in experiential programs, as it adds to their knowledge of the subject matter and allows for meaningful dialogue in class discussions.

TWC welcomed over 400 new spring interns during an orientation ceremony held at the Blinken Auditorium. The newest group of students represent a total of 164 colleges and universities worldwide, traveling from over 35 U.S. states, including Puerto Rico, and 14 countries including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, United Kingdom.

Over 450 students, who came from across the U.S. and over 17 countries, celebrated the completion of their academic internship program this fall during an hour-long commencement ceremony at the Blinken Auditorium. Students, staff members and alumni gathered to reminisce about achievements and memories made since fall interns arrived at the end of the summer.

TWC Welcomes Back Two-Time Alumnus, Jay Warren

TWC celebrated its 4th Annual Alumni Holiday party at headquarters with more than 60 attendees including fall interns, staff and alumni.

Civic Engagement Exhibits

Fall 2012 interns presented the Civic Engagement projects they had participated in, where they were able to share milestones and memories from the semester. Civic Engagement Exhibits from the night highlighted several projects including:

Domestic Violence

James Houton, Assistant Vice President of External Relations at Union Pacific and 1986 TWC Alumnus, hosted a lunch at Union Pacific’s Washington, D.C. office for fall interns. He discussed the roles he held before coming to the railroad 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.

TWC’s Professional Development Lunch Series went to press at The Washington Post when 15 Media and Communications interns enjoyed a “beyond the headlines” tour of one of the country’s leading newspapers.

At The Washington Center's (TWC) annual Gala this year, close to 550 board members, staff, partners and friends of the organization gathered together at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. The night highlighted TWC's partnerships with colleges and universities, donors, alumni, governments, internships sites and over 50,000 alumni worldwide. Guests travelled from places as distant as Hawaii and Puerto Rico to attend this event.