Wellesley in Washington Summer Internship Program

Capitol Building The Wellesley in Washington Internship Program traces its origins to the winter of 1943 during WWII when the college closed for a few months to save fuel. Prof. Julia Henderson of the Political Science department arranged for fifteen students to use that time to work as unpaid volunteers in various government agencies in the capital. The 1943 winter program was so successful that Prof. Henderson ran it again in the summer of 1944, and it has continued every summer since, making it is one of the oldest continuous Washington internship programs in the country.

The Program currently provides an opportunity for 24 funded summer internships in Washington, DC. Students seek placements from a wide array of government offices, public-interest groups, media, cultural, scientific, and medical institutions, and research centers in Washington, DC. Interns - who must be in their junior year- are selected without regard to academic major.

Each intern receives a stipend to help defray living expenses. Housing is also provided for students at George Washington University; all participating interns must live in the housing arranged for them. Interns are required to participate in weekly seminars and other Program activities during the summer. Contacts with Wellesley alumnae are an important part of the Program and each intern will be assigned a mentor from the Washington Wellesley Club. Veteran interns participate in the orientation of new interns the following year.

washington monumentThe Wellesley in Washington Internship Program is funded by gifts from alumnae and friends of the College. We are particularly grateful for the generous support of Zoë Sarbanes Pappas '66; Luella Gross Goldberg ’58; Ellen Goldberg Luger ’83; Martha Goldberg Aronson ’89; Isabelle Leeds '47; Sherley Koteen '40; the Bertha S. Adkins '28 Fund; the Anne Quackenbos Fund; the Laurence S. Rockefeller Fund; the Alona Evans Fund; the Marguerite Stitt Church '14 Memorial Stipend; the Ruth Gordon Shapiro Fund; the Jane Bishop '51 Bequest; and the many former interns who have donated to the Program.

 

Wellesley in Washington Summer Internship Program Information Page 

 

 

2023 Centralized Application managed by Career Ed: posted in Workday on Oct 1, 2023

HOW TO APPLY in Workday 

Application Deadline: Wednesday, November 1, 2023 

Info Session:  Monday, October 2, 2023 12:45-2:15 Knapp PNE Atrium 

Interview Dates: week of December 4th -TBA

Program Dates (housing at George Washington University, Wash, DC):
Sunday, May 26, 2024 – Official Move in Date GWU Housing
Monday, May 27, 2024 - Holiday
Saturday, August 3, 2024 - Move Out of GWU Housing

Questions? Contact the Poli Sci Dept:
Program Administrator: Maura Cahn
Program Directors: Professors Tom Burke and Laura Grattan
Chair, Wellesley in Washington Internship Program Committee: Prof. Tom Burke

 
 

List of Interns and Placements:
2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012| 2013|2014|2015|2016|2017|2018|2019|2020|2021|2022|2023