This December, 37 students said goodbye to Washington while 40 will say hello to the nation’s capital this January.

The 2009 Capital Semester Fall students completed their 15-week program of classes and internships at places such as the American Bakers Association, the Cato Institute, European-American Business Council and the US Coast Guard: Civil Rights Division.

The students participated in a ceremony on the Hill on December 11.

The keynote address was given by Ambassador Béla Szombati of Hungary, where he spoke about the “Democratic Transition in Central-Europe Over the Past 20 Years.”

CSF 2009 graduate Tatjana Slijepcevic, a student at the Paris Institute of Political Studies and a two-time TFAS alumna was chosen to speak about her Capital Semester experience at the graduation ceremony.

Slijepcevic (I 07, A 08, CSF 09), an intern at the Institute for World Politics, said that her time with Capital Semester Fall was truly a “life-changing experience,” even in comparison to her other studies abroad, as this program gave her the chance to live in the U.S.

“I am truly grateful to TFAS for creating such a venerable student body, composed of both American and international students,” continued Slijepcevic. “I have absolutely no doubt that they all will build brilliant careers in the future.”

Switching gears to Capital Semester Spring, students are set to arrive in Washington on January 13.

In addition to their internships, Capital Semester Spring students will take three courses worth 12 academic credits at Georgetown University.

When they aren’t in the classroom or working hard at their internships, they will be found at various sites throughout the Washington, D.C. area attending lectures, meeting professionals and soaking in the city’s wealth of knowledge.

For their first month in town, students will tour the Library of Congress, volunteer at D.C. Central Kitchen and meet their Mentors at a breakfast.

Stay tuned for more on Capital Semester Spring in the upcoming e-newsletter editions!