Author: AU Gap Program

American University Gap offers an academic and internship experience in our nation's capital, providing the perfect springboard to develop a foundation for future academic and career success. The Gap Program is designed for students who are finishing high school early or for those who are taking time or want a different experience before transitioning to college. We based the Gap Program on our hallmark Washington Semester Program - a leader in providing internships for more than 70 years.

Spring 2017

Only 2 weeks left…where has the semester gone?

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The semester has flown by and our AU Gap students are busy finishing up the semester. So what have the students been up to the last few weeks?

In their seminar class, they have explored the role of the media in Foreign Policy including a speaker at the National Press Club and then a visit to the Newseum. They have visited the National Museum of African-American History and Culture and met with the Office of the Delegation of the European Union to the United States.

And this week student met with Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins to learn more about the Global Health Security Agenda, an international effort with over 55 countries to reduce infections disease threats such as Ebola and Zika.

Next week students will wrap up class and internships and start studying for finals!

Spring 2017

Exploring Foreign Policy through Different Perspectives and Site Visits around DC

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Spring break has passed and the semester is more than half over. It has been incredibly rewarding to teach this wonderful group of students. So far, this semester our Gap Year Seminar on International Affairs has met with U.S. Ambassador Barbara Stephenson, Senior U.S. Foreign Service Officer and President of the American Foreign Service Association, for an outstanding lecture on new threat-set facing the United States and the world in the Twenty-First Century. Subsequently, we have been exploring the alternative responses that U.S. foreign policy may provide to these new challenges. We have also studied the constitutional debate over the roles of Congress and the Executive Branch in the formulation and implementation of foreign policy, as well as the main schools of thought that seek to guide our foreign policy.

While considering the various philosophies competing to influence U.S. foreign policy, we have visited the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum where we had a seminar session with an expert on the international law of genocide, with a Holocaust survivor from The Netherlands, and toured the Permanent Exhibition. We have also met with representatives from The Heritage Foundation, the World Service Authority, the Center for the National Interest (formerly known as the Nixon Center), the Cato Institute, Citizens for Global Solutions, and the Center for Teaching Peace, all of whom offered sharply different perspectives on how to respond to the current international challenges facing the United States and the world. We are capping this section with a class discussion about the schools of thought in U.S. foreign policy, for which every student has chosen his or her preferred school of thought and written an essay making the strongest possible case for it based on the lectures, guest speaker presentations, and required course readings. We are all enjoying this major class debate that is now going in to its third phase this week. It has been both enlightening and enjoyable

-Dr. Christian Maisch, AU Gap Professor, Spring 2017

Spring 2017

The Semester is Almost Half Over

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As this semester’s halfway mark approaches, it is really starting to dawn on me what a unique experience this has been. I have spent most of my weekdays interning at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a non-partisan think tank that focuses on the Middle East and military affairs. So far in my internship, I have had the opportunity to sit in on a Congressional hearing on Capitol Hill discussing Israeli, Palestinian, UN, and US relations with the new Presidential Administration and wrote a piece regarding Iran and its nuclear capabilities in the voice of our CEO. Although my original draft was quite revised before being published, I took away a better understanding of how to draft an international policy write up.

Outside of my internship, I have been taking an International Relations seminar and have learned from influential speakers and leaders in the Foreign Policy world. From a pacifist and professor teaching peace to a research expert on the EU and Middle East at the Heritage Foundation—I have learned so much! It has been awesome to see the new administration unfolding and hear the opinions from so many different voices.

Often the topics that are covered in class continue to friendly conversations back in the dorm. To be surrounded by people that are genuinely interested in current affairs and politics and can maintain those conversations is pretty cool and most definitely has taught me more than any class lecture could.

-Kaleigh Gillen
AU Gap Student, Spring 2017

Spring 2017

Have Only Scratched the Surface So Far

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At this point I have been in DC for about six weeks and I am starting to settle in. My internship has been incredible so far. I am working as a sports intern with The Washington Times. So far I have covered college basketball as well as the Washington Wizards. Getting this experience at this age is something I never would’ve thought was possible. While I have realized that I may want to get more into broadcast rather than print media, I love my job right now.

As far as living in DC goes, we’ve done some pretty cool things. We’ve seen all the monuments and we think we found the best burger in DC, but we are always looking for new places to eat. Not having a car has been a bit of a challenge, as the metro isn’t the greatest and Uber is super expensive, but there’s so much traffic in DC anyway.

Over the next few weeks I’m looking forward to getting more into my internship and covering more teams as well as continuing to explore my new home. There’s so much to do here and I feel like we have only scratched the surface so far.

-Peter Santo
AU Gap Student, Spring 2017

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What will they do in their internship?

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More often than not, prospective students and parents ask the question, “what does an intern do in the AU Gap Program?”

Students join the Gap Program normally straight out of high school. They may have had some part-time work or leadership experience, but rarely have had an internship before. This is not a problem as we coach the students how to discuss their experience and how it can translate to professional work environments.

Here are a few employers that our spring Gap students are interning with this semester and what they will be doing in their internships:

  • Naval History and Heritage Command– assisting with research on the health of sailors in the 19th Century Navy, including looking through ship logs and other primary and secondary sources to contribute to a future official history on the subject.
  • LobbyIt- attending Congressional hearings to summarize for the firm’s lobbyists and researching bills going through Congress that could affect clients.
  • Circle of Friends for American Veterans– assisting with research regarding statistics around veteran treatment by the Department of Veterans Affairs and spreading public awareness through social media and other news outlets.
  • Foundation for the Defense of Democracies– drafting press releases, creating social media content, assisting with broadcast interviews, and monitoring the organization’s media profile.
  • Washington Times– covering press for the basketball teams from the University of Maryland, Georgetown University, and the University of Virginia, including attending practices, games and all media availability to conduct interviews along with writing features on players and coaches.
  • FedScoop- planning and assisting coordinate events for the organization including roundtable discussions, summits, and webinars.
  • Jacobs, Cordova & Associates– learning about international economic issues, conducting research, contributing to business development efforts and competitiveness research reports.

It is incredible to hear about the awesome opportunities our students are having this semester. The AU Gap internship experience is sure to set a foundation that students can transition to college and other experiences.

Spring 2017

First Days in DC and on the Job

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As a newcomer to the AU Gap Program this spring, I was a little unclear on what to expect. Sure, I had read all the materials provided and looked at what past students had to say about their experience, but nothing I read could have foreshadowed the excitement that was to come.

The first few days were dedicated to preparing for the Internship Fair where about 50 different organizations would be coming to recruit us bright-eyed and bushy-tailed students. I walked into the internship fair a little nervous, but did my best to fall back on the lessons we were taught leading up to the event. The night after the internship fair, I received a call from the Federalist Society, one of my favorite organizations from the fair, asking if I could meet for an interview the next day.

Our first day of class with Professor Christian Maisch (who is quite the comedian!) featured Ambassador Barbara Stephenson from the American Foreign Service Association in the morning and then we practiced our interview skills with an expert in the afternoon. After class, I was ready to trek downtown for my internship interview. I walked into the beautiful office building, just a few blocks away from the White House, ready to be put on the grill; but instead was taken to a restaurant where I was relieved to find myself not on the menu! The interview went great!

After landing my dream internship with the Federalist Society, I started my career in Washington D.C. as a research associate. Since then, I’ve worked to compile reports on various topics to brief the leadership and have written a short introduction for a well-known Congressman. The work is hard but the hours pass quickly when you’re doing what you love. After the first week, my co-worker and gap-semester buddy Will and I quickly realized there is only one appropriate way to close out a good week of work. At 5pm, we hop on the Metro toward the Capital and go to D.C.’s best burger joint, Ollie’s Trolley. The only problem so far is the experience is going too quickly—I’m doing my best to savor each fry, one bite at a time.

-Joseph Caplis
AU Gap Student, Spring 2017

Spring 2017

The Spring Semester Is Off to an Exciting Start!

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It has been two weeks since orientation and the spring 2017 AU Gap students have dove straight into their gap semester at AU. Since arriving on campus students have not only gotten to know the American University campus, but they have developed their resume, cover letter, and interviewing skills, attended an Internship Fair, witnessed a Presidential Inauguration and the Women’s March on Washington, and started their coursework in International Affairs and US Foreign Policy.

During orientation, AU Gap Students explored DC through the SPExS Amazing Race!

As part of the American University Gap Program, students will be taking a seminar class this spring in International Affairs using DC as their classroom with guest speakers and site visits. In addition, students will intern 3 days per week in organizations around DC.

With students from across the country, including Colorado, DC, Connecticut, Maine, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia, and California, we welcome a very diverse group to campus and the AU Gap Program. Many of the students spent the first half of the year participating in other Gap experiences including backpacking and survival trips, traveling abroad while doing service or taking courses, to completing internships and working, all which they have paired with the AU Gap Program for a wonderful enriching Gap Year before college.

Stay tuned to hear from the students directly on their experience learning and interning in Washington, DC!