what students say

"My experience at WCSC was incredibly stretching. I was challenged to uncover the social and political issues I'm passionate about and search for ways to further these issues in our society."

fall 2009 internships

• Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co.
• Washington Life Magazine
• Little Friends for Peace
• N Street Village
• Folger Shakespeare Library Theatre
• U.S. Navy Museum
• LAYC Education Program
• National Institutes of Health
• Columbia Heights Arts Workshop
• Bread for the World
• Sojourners Magazine
• Israel Metropolitan CME Church Food Bank
• Chesapeake Climate Action Network
• Capital Area Food Bank
• LAYC Art & Media House

Who says college isn’t the real world?

The Washington Community Scholars' Center is a semester-long service-learning internship program that includes:

- 20 hours per week learning on-the-job at an internship
- Group living with up to 15 students from other Mennonite colleges
- Two core classes on DC history, culture, and social issues
- The option to take an additional class at a DC university

Why do students join WCSC?

WCSC is an opportunity to explore city life and cultural diversity, to build your resume and work experience, to serve the community, and to take a class that sparks your interest or fulfills graduation requirements at an urban university. Students are challenged to grow personally and professionally, and to explore the connections between faith and works at the Washington Community Scholars' Center (formerly known as the Washington Study-Service Year).

Internship

Through an internship in DC, you can build your resume, gain job skills and work experience, and explore a job field that interests you while contributing to your community. We can place students from any major, including the sciences, the arts, and professional programs.

Engaging the arts

As part of the program, students will gain free admission to several musical, theater and dance performances during the semester. The seminar class also provides space for students to explore museums, coffee house poetry readings, and public art and historical walking tours. From slam poetry readings to Hamlet - the arts are at your doorstep in D.C.

Life learning and classes

The city is a great place to learn about the poverty that exists in our own country, about racism which continues to affect our society, and about the ways that real people are addressing these challenges. Through internships, group life, and the weekly seminar class, students are encouraged to embark on a stretching journey of personal and professional self-discovery and gain new perspectives on the world we live in.

Seminar Class: WCSC’s inter-disciplinary seminar analyzes social problems, faith issues and urban experiences through reading and writing, the arts, field trips, and group discussion. Guest speakers, internship visits, and history and arts tours are part of the weekly seminar course.

Local University Class: Students may also elect to take 1-2 courses at one of the following local universities (other universities may be considered on a case-by-case basis), with priority given to those who need the credits to meet graduation requirements:

• Trinity University
• University of the District of Columbia
• Corcoran College of Art and Design
• Graduate School of the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Group living

WCSC student life is a community experience, including shared meals and household responsibilities. Through sharing space and many new experiences, students come to know one another and themselves in surprising ways. Students build interpersonal communication skills and learn about conflict resolution strategies during group meetings.

The newly renovated facility is located in Brookland, a working-class, largely African-American neighborhood near Catholic University of America. We are just four blocks from the Metro, and there is a bus that goes from the front door of the house directly to the Metro station.

Additional info

Information for Accepted Students
WCSC In Brief (an overview flier for prospective students)

Eastern Mennonite University is a small Christian liberal arts college dedicated to Anabaptist and Mennonite values of peacebuilding and service.