The UCSB Washington Program

For Networking Opportunities and Career Experience, Participate in the UCSB Washington Program

The UCSB Washington Program offers a unique opportunity for students to integrate an in-depth experience in the Washington policy world with their UCSB academic program.
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UCDC: Not Just for Social Science Majors

Are you thinking of participating in UCDC, but wondering if it's appropriate for students not majoring in political science or law and society?
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Q&A with a UCDC Peer

Financial Aid Available for UCDC Participants

A limited number of scholarships are available for students who meet academic and financial aid eligibility but might be restricted from participating in the program due to financial hardship.
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For Networking Opportunities and Career Experience, Participate in the UCSB Washington Program

by Steve De Canio

The UCSB Washington Program offers a unique opportunity for students to integrate an in-depth experience in the Washington policy world with their UCSB academic program. Participants spend a quarter in Washington D.C. interning in a government agency, nonprofit organization, or private sector firm and living at the new University of California Washington Center. UCSB students also participate in a weekly seminar and complete a research paper. Students receive a minimum of 12 units of academic credit for their Washington quarter. UCSB accepts approximately 30 students per quarter into this program.

The internships immerse students in the heart of national policy- making. Our students have worked in congressional offices on Capitol Hill, the White House and various agencies of the Executive Branch, law firms, media organizations, advocacy groups, the Smithsonian Institution, and science agencies based in Washington, just to name a few of the opportunities. Students have a chance to see (and participate in) the process of policy formation from the inside, and many find themselves given a remarkable amount of responsibility in the short time they are in Washington. On the academic side, our students have the benefit of conducting their research in a resource- rich tutorial environment. The Washington Center has a fully equipped computer lab, full access to all the electronic holdings of the University of California Digital Library, and library privileges at both Georgetown University and the Library of Congress.

Staff in Washington D.C. and at UCSB assist students in finding internships that match their individual interests. The program has a 15-year history of successful internship placements, and an extensive database of contacts eager to invite UCSB students into their agencies and organizations. Students who have participated in the program are overwhelmingly positive in their evaluations of its academic and professional value. The networking opportunities and career experience cannot be duplicated elsewhere.

Students who are interested in the UCSB Washington Program are invited to attend one of the informational seminars held quarterly by the UCDC peers. Questions about the program can be directed to the UCDC peers at 893-3090 or at ucdc@Ltsc.ucsb.edu. Honors students are particularly encouraged to apply!

UCDC: Not Just for Social Science Majors

Are you thinking of participating in UCDC, but wondering if it's appropriate for students not majoring in political science or law and society? In fact, students from a wide range of majors have gone to Washington with this program, completing internships in settings ranging from the Smithsonian to the National Institutes of Health, from the White House to the Senate.

Here are the majors of student participants over the past two years:

• Anthropology
• Aquatic Biology
• Art History
• Asian American Studies
• Black Studies
• Business Economics
• Chicano Studies
• Communication
• Comparative Literature
• English
• Environmental Studies
• Film Studies
• Global Studies
• History of Public Policy
• History
• Islamic and Near Eastern Studies
• Italian Cultural Studies
• Latin American and Iberian Studies
• Law and Society
• Philosophy
• Political Science
• Pre–Business Economics
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Spanish and Portuguese
• Religious Studies
• Undecided
• Women's Studies

Q&A with a UCDC Peer

Lucy Olmos is a senior from Santa Ana, where she attended Saddleback High. She is double majoring in Spanish and political science (international relations emphasis) and plans to attend law school. She attended UCDC in spring of 2004, and now serves as a UCDC peer.

Q: Why did you decide to spend a quarter at UCDC?
A. I have a strong interest in politics, and what better place to learn more about it than in the capital of the United States. Aside from politics, I thought it would be a good experience to live on the East Coast.

Q: Please describe your internship.
A: I interned at the Women's Foreign Policy Group. My responsibilities included setting up educational programs regarding foreign policy issues concerning women. Because this was a nonprofit organization, the interns were the staff, and we worked long hours to put on a program. Our work included researching possible speakers on certain topics and doing outreach to inform the community about the event. The most memorable experience of my internship was the preparing for a congressional luncheon, where the honorary speakers were Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Kate Bailey Hutchinson. It was a great event, and everyone who attended the luncheon left feeling really satisfied.

Q: Did your internship or UCDC experience help you to focus your life or career goals? Your plans for graduate or professional school?
A: Coming into my internship, I knew that I wanted to go law school, and even after having interned for a nonprofit I still want to go to law school. But whereas before, I didn't know what kind of law to practice, I am now sure that I would like to practice international law. So, it helped me narrow down my interests to foreign policy.

Q: Did your UCDC experience help you to expand your network? Did you find mentors in Washington, D.C.?
A: At the end of the internship, my supervisor Patricia Ellis wrote me a letter of recommendation. She is a valuable person to keep in touch with, since she has a lot of contacts in the New York and Washington D.C. area.

Q: What was your most memorable experience at UCDC?
A: My most memorable experience was meeting my roommates. Going to Washington D.C., I didn't know anybody participating in the program, but the friends I made there are definitely people with whom I will keep in touch in the future.

Financial Aid Available for UCDC Participants

A limited number of scholarships are available for students who meet academic and financial aid eligibility but might be restricted from participating in the program due to financial hardship. Students receiving financial aid and have unmet need for that quarter (as determined by the Office of Financial Aid) are automatically considered for a scholarship upon admission to the program.

Each year four $2,500 scholarships are awarded to UCDC or UCCS interns in the memory of Walter Holden Capps, Professor of Religious Studies at UCSB and former member of the U.S. Congress. One scholarship is awarded each quarter (including summer) to an intern who intends to pursue a career in public life. A committee from the Walter H. Capps Center for the Study of Religion and Public Life in the Department of Religious Studies makes the final award decisions. A separate scholarship application is not required. Details on this scholarship are available in the UCDC Resource Room, North Hall 2105.

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