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

When Amélie Godefroid first arrived in Washington from Kortrijk, Belgium, she remembers being shocked by the number of homeless people she saw on the streets. “Homelessness is much more hidden in Belgium,” she observed. “I wanted to join the Homelessness Civic Engagement Project to learn about homelessness in the U.S., and to become an advocate for homeless children.”

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

The Fall 2012 Immigration Rights Project had the support and participation of students who came from all over the United States and international countries including:

The Legal Externship and Law & Criminal Justice programs welcomed three panelists as part of a special 2012 Speaker Event. Panelists included:

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars (TWC) is excited to announce a new partnership with the United States-New Zealand Council in Washington, D.C., an independent body dedicated to promoting strong bilateral relations between the United States and New Zealand.

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:

More than 40 students in the Animal Welfare Civic Engagement Project heard from the Humane Society of the United States regarding how to advocate for public policies that combat animal cruelty and protect dogs, cats, horses and other animals.

The Humane Society, the country’s largest animal protection organization, fights “cruelty, exploitation, and neglect” of animals through legislation, rescues thousands of animals, and works with businesses to support animal-friendly policies.

During the Roundtable on Civil Society & Social Responsibility, TWC welcomed a special keynote speaker and 4 expert panelists to discuss the topic of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the role that it plays in civil society. The fall Roundtable focused on a range of partnerships and in-progress CSR initiatives to provide fall interns with the opportunity to become more aware and sensitive to the challenges facing our society at a community and global level.

TWC hosted a special Veterans Day Presentation featuring Command Sergeant Major (CSM) James Bartell, a veteran in the US Army Reserve, who spoke to the Political Leadership, Cordova, and Advocacy, Service and Arts (ASA) programs at the Blinken Auditorium.