WASHINGTON, D.C.
City Overview:
Washington, D.C. is one of the most diverse, dynamic cities in the country. As the nation’s capital, it plays host to some of the most iconic cultural landmarks in the world including the Kennedy Center, the National Mall, the collection of Smithsonian museums, and the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival, just to name a few. It has monuments to some of the world’s greatest leaders and policymakers located throughout the city - nowhere else could you take a 5-mile run and see the Capitol, White House, Washington Monument, Jefferson & Lincoln Memorials, the World War II, Korea, and Vietnam War memorials, and the future home of the National Museum of African American Culture & History!
Washington D.C.’s food scene has expanded significantly and it now hosts hundreds of award-winning restaurants from local favorites like “Ben’s Chili Bowl” to 1789 Restaurant. From late night fare to formal afternoon tea, you can find it in Washington, D.C. There also is no shortage of regional, cultural, and distinctive food to expand your palate.
Washington, D.C. provides hundreds of miles of biking and running trails that can take you through D.C., Virginia, and Maryland all in an afternoon. Or get your exercise visiting one of the Washington, D.C.’s many museums - of which there are over 70!
Washington, D.C. is the epicenter of policymaking in the United States. In addition to Congress (and its many entities including the Congressional Research Service and Library of Congress), Washington, D.C. is home to all of the major Executive branch agencies, which means that it is home to hundreds of associations, think tanks, and other entities dedicated to creating, shaping, and enacting public policy. Students in the REP-PP in Washington, D.C. have endless opportunities to pursue placements that not only test their legal and policymaking skills but set them up to bring knowledge and strategy back to Texas - or anywhere they end up practicing.
Aggie Stats:
Aggies are everywhere in D.C. - from the halls of Capitol Hill to the halls of the Pentagon. The Aggie Network in D.C. is one of the largest in the country and students in the REP-PP in Washington, D.C. will be given every opportunity to join its ranks. Students in D.C. also will have opportunities to interact with other Aggies serving in internships through the Texas A&M Public Policy Internship Program - a program that has sent over 1,300 students to D.C. since its inception in 1990.
Nature of the Program:
Like its counterpart in Austin, Texas, the REP-PP in Washington, D.C. is designed to give students substantive experiential learning opportunities in the policymaking arena. Students in Washington, D.C. have opportunities to be placed throughout the federal government, not just Capitol Hill. The program is designed to give Texas A&M students experience in all aspects of policymaking so they can take that experience back to Texas or elsewhere. Students will leave this program with substantive experiential learning and application under their belts and will have met some of the state’s most prominent and influential leaders in policymaking. The program includes a guided, substantive seminar component led by an expert in policymaking during which students explore ethical, procedural, strategic, and leadership issues that lawyers in the public sector face every day - regardless of whether they are handling local, state, national, or international issues.