It was the spring of 2024 when Anna Kuschel, a 2026 CUC graduate, first found herself under the U.S. Capitol’s dome. Only, it wasn’t as a tourist. As an intern in the Senate, one of Kuschel’s duties was leading tours of the Capitol.
Kuschel spent that semester in DC with the Lutheran College Washington Semester (LCWS), a study-away internship program CUC students can take part in. She enjoyed the experience so much that she returned in spring of 2026, this time as a strategic communications intern at Narrative Strategies. Now a graduate student at the University of Missouri, Kuschel says the experience shaped her career aspirations and made her fall in love with the city.
“I’m doing an emphasis in state government reporting right now, which is something I don’t think I would have really been interested in had I not seen things at the federal level,” Kuschel said. “And my goal is ultimately to get back to DC, whenever that might be, and use what I’m doing here at Mizzou with local and state government, and just bring it up to the next level.”
On Sept. 26, the program celebrated its 40th anniversary with a “Forty and Forward” party in Rosslyn, Va., bringing together alumni, current students, campus representatives, and former staff. The event was a celebration of LCWS’s history and its vision for the future.
“I don’t think there are a lot of programs like ours that would have people come back from across the country to just be part of a two-hour celebration,” Dean Edward Hasecke said. “I think that’s a testament to the community vibe that we try to create here.”
At the celebration, Hasecke highlighted the leadership of Nancy Joyner, the first dean of the program, and her vision in securing the apartments where students live and the office where they take classes in a convenient, affordable location.
“It’s extremely unusual, and we’re in a location that gives us such easy access to the metro, but is also affordable,” Hasecke said prior to the event. “So we’re able to continue to promise that we are able to have students come here for the same price that it would cost them to be on their home campus.”
LCWS also announced the creation of the Joyner Scholarship Fund. While participating in the program is the same cost as when students are studying at their home campuses, the cost of groceries, household supplies, and other items can be a burden for students. The stipend, which is funded by donations, is designed to ease that financial burden for students with unpaid internships. At the event, it was announced that $33,438 was raised for the fund.
LCWS began in the spring of 1986 with ten students from Muhlenberg College, and has since expanded to include 16 universities across the country. CUC joined the consortium in 1999, and has sent about 88 students since, according to the LCWS website.
“Students come back with so much confidence and so much amazing experience and connections that they can leverage for grad school, law school, business school, careers, whatever. It’s just an awesome program,” said associate professor of history David Bates, CUC’s campus representative for the program.
CUC sends two students maximum to LCWS each semester. Students interested in participating in LCWS can reach out to Bates for more information on the program and application process.
Although LCWS takes place in the nation’s capital, students from a wide variety of programs can participate, whether they want a political internship or not.
“The biggest thing that I always try to get across to people is that it’s not a political science internship,” Bates said. “Whatever your major, whatever you’re interested in, we can always find something to connect you with, whatever it might be, even nothing to do with politics.”
Kuschel was among the students who had an internship outside of the political realm. Her second time participating in the program, she delved into the field of strategic communications.
“The biggest thing it did for me was solidifying in my mind how to use my poli sci degree and my journalism degree together at the same time,” she said.
LCWS is more than just an internship. Hasecke says what distinguishes LCWS from other internship programs in DC is the immersion, not only living and interning in DC, but truly experiencing its culture and history.
“In so many ways, I’m inspired by what is the liberal arts ethos of our schools, and that translates to the program,” Hasecke said. “That means that we care about making a big difference in the world, and so, sort of learning about the communities that we are in is important.”
One way students do this is through weekly “DC Experiences”—Friday field trips that take students to the U.S. Capitol, Embassy Row, and other places throughout the nation’s capital. Hasecke says his favorite DC experiences are the tour of U Street, known as “Black Broadway,” and the field trip where students go to the Smithsonian Museum of African American History with civil rights activist Joan Trumpauer Mulholland.
“Every time I hear her, I hear something a little bit different, and each time, she’s just one of these people that inspires you to live a life that you want to live, one where you hope that you leave a legacy or make a mark that people will remember you for,” Hasecke said.
Students also explore and make memories in the classes they take with the program, which include field trips and guest speakers. Kuschel said she particularly enjoyed taking The DC Theater Experience, through which she saw a variety of shows across DC.
“When I saw that that class was an option, I thought it was too good to be true that you just go and see theater with your friends and then talk about it. That’s my dream scenario,” Kuschel shared. “It gave me an opportunity to see what the art scene is like in DC, to see shows that are not necessarily mainstream or might be from smaller writers.”
Kuschel says that her experience the first time in the program coupled with its affordability is what encouraged her to participate in the program twice, and she hopes that current CUC students will also take advantage of the opportunity.
“So much support is provided by the LCWS staff and Dr. Bates that it just feels like a really safe way to get outside of your comfort zone,” Kuschel said. “They just want to see you have a good time and make the most of your experience. So, why not take the risk when there’s so many people that are really there for you and hoping that you do well?”
Photos by LCWS.
