On Friday April 30, TFAS graduated the 15th class of its Capital Semester program. Forty students accepted their commencement certificates at The Rayburn House Office Building’s Gold Room.

Bill Adair, Washington Bureau Chief of the St. Petersburg Times, spoke to the new graduates during his keynote address.

Richard Widmann of The College of New Jersey and Jennifer Yoo of Biola University gave student remarks, reflecting on their experiences in the program and all they learned in the classroom and through their interaction with each. Widmann noted that while there were often differences of opinion among the students, they realized that they share much in common as well, including a desire to make a difference in the world.

The students began their internships and coursework in Washington on January 13. They earned full-time credit at Georgetown University and interned four days a week at various organizations in the D.C. Metro area. Internship sites included places such as the Department of Treasury, Department of Justice, nine House and Senate Offices and the Institute for World Politics.

Among this spring’s class were nine students enrolled in Capital Semester’s political journalism track. These college journalists were placed with some of Washington’s leading news outlets, including ABCNewsNow.com, NBC Nightly News, MSNBC.com and The Washington Times.

In addition to their internships, Capital Semester students also volunteered at the D.C. Central Kitchen, toured the Pentagon, Library of Congress, Capitol Building, Mt. Vernon, Newseum and had private briefings at the State Department, World Bank, Australian Embassy, Federal Reserve, USA TODAY and Politico.