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It might sound cliché, but this year’s Inside Washington seminar was unlike any other. For the first time, 70 participants left Washington, D.C. to spend the day at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

The trip, for students participating in the first week of the Inside Washington seminar “In Pursuit of the Presidency,” was designed to give the students an opportunity to learn more about our nation’s history outside of the capital. It was sponsored by Macy’s, a corporate partner with a social responsibility effort focused on education, along with Edward Jay Goldberg, Macy’s senior vice president of external affairs. Goldberg said he got the idea for the trip after interacting with students during a TWC Roundtable on Philanthropy and Social Responsibility in October 2011. He realized that many students had never been to Philadelphia and were not aware of the National Constitution Center, which he considers one of the city’s premier institutions.

The students visited a variety of exhibits and presentations at the National Constitution Center, including:

• “Freedom Rising,” a multimedia presentation in the Richard and Helen DeVos Exhibit Hall’s Kimmel Theater, that tells the story of the major themes of the Constitution from 1787 to the present.
• “Fighting for Democracy: Who is the ‘We’ in ‘We the People’?” a multimedia exhibition from the Japanese American National Museum that traces the real-life experiences of a diverse group of seven Americans who fought for freedom all over the world during the World War II era.

In addition, all first week Inside Washington participants had the opportunity to visit the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

Student Impact

• Madeline Hutchings, a student at the University of New Hampshire, felt that while "viewing politics closely can have a disillusioning effect, visiting Philadelphia gave me a sense of the dedication and passion necessary for the successful progression of the U.S. government.”
• Keegan De Silva, Joe Thompson, and Thorsten Pacher, students from Elon University, said their favorite part of the trip was sitting down with Goldberg for lunch, hearing about his career, and learning about his active involvement with the National Constitution Center.
• John Anthony Shahor, a student at Washington State University, said the “Freedom Rising” presentation "helped the preamble take on a more significant role, leaving me with an understanding of the plan and foresight of the document’s creators."

All the students left Philadelphia with a unique, new perspective thanks to partners like Macy’s and Goldberg, who help advance experiential education opportunities for students worldwide.

[View photos from Inside Washington '12 Week 1 on our Flickr channel]