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Many Washington Center students intern with the federal government—in the White House or Congress or in federal agencies such as the Departments of Justice, Commerce and State. If you’re interested in any area of public policy, politics or public administration, there’s no better place to prepare for your future.

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Interning at the EPA is really the culmination of my undergrad work, taking everything I have learned and thrusting me into the real world of politics and policy in Washington. It has completely altered my perspective on how much power and politics affect government decisions and outcomes. Working for the EPA has expanded my knowledge of environmental issues by leaps and bounds and has convinced me to return to D.C. to build a career working in the government.

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Washington, D.C., has more nonprofit organizations than any city in the country—25,000 of them. Washington, D.C. is home to the largest international nonprofits in the world and also has hundreds of organizations providing direct services to the local community.

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At my internship site, I’ve had the opportunity to work in an extremely diverse community with multicultural and bilingual children and staff. As a development intern, I’ve been able to assist in corporate, foundation and government grant writing processes as well as sit in on meetings with the CEO and the rest of the executive team. The things I’ve learned here will make me much more appealing to potential employers. It is rare to have the opportunity to acquire the skills I’m gaining now, and none of this would be possible without my internship through The Washington Center.

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An internship with a for-profit organization will introduce you to the private sector, the country’s and the world’s great engine of economic growth. Whether you’re at a law or lobbying firm, or the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, it will help you understand the way business is done (and, often, how related policy is made). It will help you determine whether or not the for-profit arena is for you.

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I have been able to prove myself by doing legislative research and analysis and making recommendations. I routinely delve into the dense language of bills and figure out what the bills will truly accomplish and how they will affect our clients. My most important duty is scheduling Washington, D.C. events for one of our newer clients, an international accounting firm. I call Congressional offices to set up meetings. These tasks have allowed me to learn a lot—from basic workplace etiquette to how the American legislative process works in the real world.

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The Washington Center serves students in all majors, with interests in a wide variety of fields. These include the government, nonprofit and business arenas featured on these pages as well as many others that may partially overlap with them - the worlds of media and communications, science and technology, law and criminal justice, and international affairs.

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My internship at Double R Productions has given me the confidence and experience I need to venture out and find a job after graduation. As a public relations major, I have had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience not only with writing press releases and creating public service announcement concepts, but also with video editing, production work, media logging and helping at video shoots. I could not ask for a better internship!

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An academic course is an integral part of your Washington Center experience. You’ll be able to choose from 35 to 50 courses typically offered each semester or summer term.

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Dr. Alicia Campi’s course on U.S.-China relations in the 20th and 21st centuries has given me a wonderful background on U.S. foreign policy toward an emerging power that promises to be at the forefront of national security and economic talks in the years to come. Through this course and through my internship with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, I’ve had the privilege of exploring the intricate dynamics of U.S. relations with leading nations

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The Washington Center reaches more than 25 countries each year and sends students to two continents outside of North America. Students from around the world are welcome at The Washington Center. Each year between 15 and 20 percent of students enrolled in our internship programs come from other countries. This is truly a place of cultural diversity, reflective of the diverse population of Washington, D.C. Over the last 16 years, nearly 2,000 students from 35 countries have joined TWC’s transformational internship programs. Everyone here looks forward to welcoming you to Washington, D.C.

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Before coming to D.C., I was looking for an international experience. My program, Business and Global Trade, was as international as it could be. Participants came from Mexico, Korea, U.S., China and El Salvador. The relationships I built during my experience are invaluable. Thanks to one of the contacts I developed I was offered an internship in South Korea this summer.

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The Washington Center experience provides numerous opportunities for participants to be involved in projects and events where they learn and apply skills needed to make a positive difference in the community.

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Since coming to Washington, I've had the opportunity to attend numerous hearings both on and off the hill, as well as hear experts speak in class and our weekly seminars. Not only have I learned about the U.S.-China relationship (the focus of our TWC program), cyber security and technology policy (my program's focus at CSIS), but I also better understand our political process in general. This experience will help me be an engaged citizen, no matter where my career takes me.

Resources

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