Students living at the Washington Community Scholar鈥檚 Center and working in Washington D.C. this summer. Back row, from left: Troy Chieffo, Shay Whetzel, Sarah Boshart, Natalie Leake, Abby Bush, Victoria Campbell, Teresa Garcia Bautista. Front row: Jake Lind, Kyle Johnson, Andrew Hindle, Abby Clemens, Nina Simmons, and Jacob Brown. All students are from 草莓社区, with the exception of Troy Chieffo, who attends Bluffton University. This photo was taken after an orientation session and an all-city scavenger hunt. (Courtesy photo)

Summer interns settle in at Washington Community Scholars’ Center

by Lauren Jefferson

Teresa Garcia-Bautista has a long list of summer goals while living at the and working in Washington D.C. this summer. The first two are 鈥渕eet the marginalized鈥� and 鈥渕ake a difference,鈥� which she does each weekday at , helping to process refugee and asylum seekers, while improving her translation and interpreting skills, and conducting legal research.

The other goals are more oriented towards experiencing life in the Nelson Good House, the intentional community she shares with 12 other college students, and the fun of getting to know the major metropolitan area that includes the nation鈥檚 capital. That list includes 鈥渆xplore more places, survive the humidity, maybe get a tan, understand the metro system and get better with my cooking skills.鈥�

Bautista-Garcia鈥檚 goals fit those of the WCSC experience, according to associate director . 鈥淥utside of their internships, the students are encouraged to engage with their community life in the house, as well as around the city. Visiting different churches, exploring neighborhoods they might not visit on their own, and attending events around the city that engage issues of race, culture and privilege, complement our weekly seminar discussions.鈥�

The cross-cultural experience represents the final semester for Garcia-Bautista, a senior and major from Timberville, Virginia who earned the honor during May鈥檚 Commencement exercises.

Here鈥檚 a list of other WCSC participants and their internships.

  • Abby Bush, a major from Souderton, Pennsylvania, is working at , which includes a day center for homeless women as well as 鈥渋ntegrated mental health, physical health and addiction recovery services to homeless and low-income women,鈥� according to their website. She assists with activities at the center, which include yoga and support groups, and with meals.
  • Abigail Clemens, a history major from Harleysville, Pennsylvania, is interning at the North American Meat Institute, a national trade association that represents companies in the meat and poultry industry. She is writing press releases and media advisories, accompanying legislative staff to Capitol Hill, and attending briefings and hearings. She also reviews the daily Federal Register for information pertinent to the industry, and prepares a briefing for review and distribution.
  • Andrew Hindle is interning at MANNA, Inc., an organization which helps low and moderate-income families with home ownership in the D.C. metro area. He is a major from New Market, Maryland.
  • Jacob Brown assists with the reporting of Washington Nationals baseball games for The Sports Xchange and is also involved in fundraising for the YMCA Metropolitan Washington鈥檚 Thingamajig Invention Convention, a STEM event for area youth. He will also provide post-event coverage for the organization鈥檚 newsletter. He is a major from Achilles, Virginia.
  • Jake Lind, a major from Harrisonburg, Virginia, works with DC United鈥檚 U23 soccer team, assisting with set-up and transition in practice. He鈥檒l also work with their youth summer camps.
  • Kyle Johnson, a major from Brookneal, Virginia, is an intern with Financial Education Literacy Advisors (FELA), which provides financial education services to partners and clients. He works with Director of Technology 鈥�14, a former WCSC student who interned at FELA and was hired full-time by the company after graduation. Also there is Joel Murray 鈥�14, also a former participant in the WCSC program who interned with Sojourners magazine.
  • Nina Simmons, a major from Harrisonburg, Virginia, is working with children attending Little Friends for Peace summer camp, teaching about healthy bodies and performing nursing duties.
  • Sarah Boshart is an intern with the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, participating in their efforts to create a more restoratively oriented experience for court-involved youth in the DC area. A major from Harrisonburg, Virginia, she works at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding during the school year.
  • Shay Whetzel, a history major from Bergton, Virginia, is collecting oral histories from elders with Iona Senior Services.
  • Victoria Campbell, from Chester Gap, Virginia, is a major interning at Saint Anthony鈥檚 Catholic School summer camp.
  • Troy Chieffo, a Bluffton College history major, from Newton Falls, Ohio, is interning at the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, a community museum in the Anacostia neighborhood which examines American history and culture from an African American perspective. He is researching and developing Wikipedia pages under the supervision of the head archivist.
  • Natalie Leake, a nursing major from Bridgewater, Virginia is interning at Sitar Arts Center, supporting their summer arts and music camp programming.