Meals & Activities

Meals

TWC does not have a dining facility. You'll need to buy groceries and cook your own meals, or dine out. Think about how much money you will need for groceries, packed lunches, and the occasional restaurant meal.

Student Life Activities

Throughout the semester, you can take part in the following activities organized by the Student Life Office and other Washington Center staff. For more information about student life, email housing@twc.edu.

• Career Boot Camp: Workshop topics include networking, workplace etiquette, applying to graduate school, getting a job in the federal government, and many more.
• International Cultural Festival
• Walking tour of some Washington, D.C. neighborhoods
• Kayaking on the Potomac River
• Trip to Atlantic City

Events Planned by Your Program Advisor

Your program advisor will plan a series of events tailored to the interests of your group. These activities might include briefings, site visits, panel discussions, or workshops. In the International Affairs Program, for example, you might have the opportunity to visit embassies and hear panel discussions on counterterrorism or international development.

Public Policy Dialogues on Capitol Hill

At some point during the semester or term, you will have the opportunity to meet, as part of a very small group, with a member of Congress, or his or her high-level staff member. The meetings provide opportunities for personal interaction and discussions of policy, politics, and legislation affecting students’ lives and communities.

The Leadership Forum

The Leadership Forum is a structured set of activities that enriches the experience in Washington, D.C. It helps students understand leadership and the opportunity they have to contribute to the community locally, nationally, and internationally. You will hear from and engage with distinguished speakers, including cabinet members, ambassadors, journalists and members of Congress. You will also be introduced to current public policy debates and the organizations and people who shape them.

The Simpson-Mineta Leaders Series

The Simpson-Mineta Leaders Series was founded in the spirit of the lifelong friendship between two extraordinary leaders, Alan Simpson and Norman Mineta. Even though their politics are from opposite sides of the aisle, both their friendship and their commitment to leadership and public service endured.

The Simpson-Mineta Leaders Series aims to create a forum in which students from around the country and the world can engage with extraordinary leaders, explore issues of contemporary public concern, and articulate their own views about the meaning of leadership and citizenship in today’s society. Four to six lectures are scheduled each term, and attendance at all lectures is a required part of the program. Students will have the opportunity to hear the perspectives and experiences of distinguished leaders from the business, nonprofit, and government sectors as well as the diplomatic community. At the end of each lecture, students will have the opportunity to ask questions.

Past speakers include:

• Secretary Madeleine K. Albright, The Albright Group

• Anna E. Cabral, U.S. Treasurer

• Dick Cheney, U.S. Vice President

• U.S. Congressman James Clyburn (D-SC), House Majority Whip

• Sam Donaldson, ABC News Anchor

• Carlos Gutierrez, U.S. Secretary of Commerce

• U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE)

• Brian Lamb, founder, chairman and CEO of C-SPAN

• Mike McCurry, White House Press Secretary

• Lori Montenegro, National Correspondent–Washington Bureau, Telemundo

• Dr. Klaus Scarioth, German Ambassador to the United States

• Jim Lehrer, Executive Editor & Anchor, PBS

• Lawrence Korb, Founder of the Center for American Progress

• Kevin Klose, Former President of National Public Radio

• Dennis Hastert - former Speaker of the House of Representatives

• Trent Lott (R-MS) Former Senator

• Former Democratic Congressman, Secretary of Commerce, and Secretary of Transportation - Norm Mineta