The Capital Experience: Students intern across D.C. in summer Washington Fellowship program

A total of 31 Liberty University students representing disciplines ranging from government and history to business, communications, engineering, and healthcare participated in one of the Washington Fellowship’s largest summer cohorts this year. During the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding, they completed internships across Washington, D.C., that provided valuable hands-on experience, professional networking opportunities, and preparation for their future careers.

The Washington Fellowship allows students from all degree programs to earn academic credit while living and working in the nation’s capital. Throughout the fall, spring, or summer terms, students receive transportation and housing accommodations that allow them to fully immerse themselves in the historic city while working in one of the most sought-after job markets.

About 100 applications were reviewed for consideration this summer, and students from the Helms School of Government continued to make up the largest group of participants (20 out of the 31 selected).

“I continue to be in awe of all I experience through the Washington Fellowship and my law enforcement internships in D.C. this summer,” said Lydia Couric (’25), a public policy master’s student who is in her second consecutive summer with the fellowship. “So much history is (rooted) in the nation’s capital. … I love living in Washington, D.C., and try to seize every day I get to experience the city.”

Couric interned at the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) and Arlington County Police Department. She said her responsibilities reminded her that law enforcement is “not sparkly, and it’s not going to feel good.”

“At the end of the day, it’s a passion in your heart to help people,” Couric said, noting that some of her daily tasks at the ACPD have included speaking with victims, participating in police ride-alongs, and investigating crimes alongside detectives. “It’s really important to use the passion and the skills I’ve been given to serve all the people around me. Jesus was a servant.”

The Washington Fellowship is open to students in undergraduate and post-graduate degree programs. For rising sophomore Vera Swem, who interned at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the fellowship allowed her to spend her summer in an environment pertinent to her future career endeavors of working in foreign affairs or the intelligence community.

At the nonprofit, Swem served on the Communications and Technology Task Force, where she researched and tracked the environmental impacts of proposed data center projects around the country. She said many professors within the Helms School of Government, particularly Department Chair for Government Aaron Van Allen, were instrumental in helping her secure the opportunity.

“If I need something, I know I can call Professor Van Allen, I know I can call Admiral (Tony) Cothron, and they’ll help me out with anything,” said Swem, a double major studying national security and intelligence and international relations. “Being surrounded by (professors) who have been through what I’m going through, know what it’s like in the real world, and can lead me on the best path to success is really encouraging.”

Rising junior Madelyn Jahnke, who is studying national security and intelligence, served as a senatorial intern in the office of Sen. Kevin Cramer from North Dakota, performing duties ranging from constituent services like answering phone calls and providing capital tours to drafting memos for Sen. Cramer’s legislative staff.

Jahnke, a Resident Assistant on campus, said working with Sen. Cramer was beneficial given his role on the Armed Services Committee, one of the larger congressional committees pertaining to defense and national security. Jahnke plans to pursue a career in defense intelligence for a government agency.

She said her ultimate goal is to “serve God wherever I’m at,” noting that long-term government employment is not always guaranteed, depending on which administration is in power.

“Every couple of years, things turn over, and you could be in a great job and then be out of a job within two years,” she said. “And so, it’s a test of faith to work in public service, especially in the intelligence field.”

“One of the biggest things that I’ve learned in the United States Senate is that it’s one of the biggest mission fields,” she added. “It’s a great place for students at Liberty to be deploying to, especially (from) the Helms School of Government, because they have that saving knowledge, and I know most of them are not afraid to share it either.”

For more information about the Washington Fellowship, visit Liberty.edu/Honors/WashingtonFellowship. Students may stop by the Honors College on the 4th floor in DeMoss Hall or email washington@liberty.edu.