Every fall, spring, and summer, students from EMU, and other schools across the country, move into the Nelson Good House in Washington, D.C. to participate in the Washington Community Scholars’ Center (WCSC). WCSC is an intercultural program EMU offers where students practice community living, work an internship in the city, and take classes centered around career and the city. 

This semester, nine students began their WCSC session and a few sat down with the Weather Vane to discuss their experience so far. 

Jordyn Thompson 

Jordyn Thompson is in her third year at EMU where she majors in History and Social Sciences while minoring in Secondary Education. Thompson applied to WCSC for the work experience, “I thought it would be a good experience to figure out what I want to do in the future; if I want to teach, or if I want to go into museum studies.” 

Thompson is currently interning at the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archive, giving her the chance to explore her interest in museum studies. As an intern, one of Thompson’s tasks has been to conduct yearbook inventories. She gathers old yearbooks and works to make sure they’re in good condition, while also inspecting the books for hidden artifacts or photos. “It actually sounds really boring, but looking at all the old photos and notes that people write to each other in the yearbooks is pretty interesting.” 

Originally from Rockingham, VA, Thompson had never experienced Washington before this fall. “When I was younger, I thought D.C. was just the Smithsonian and the White House,” Thompson shared, but in the few months she’s been in the city, she realized there was much more to it. 

Thompson has made a point to explore the city, mainly by attending festivals, which has been a highlight for her. “The music is great and it’s great to walk around, see all the booths, people selling their art, and just have the community interact with each other. It’s very nice.” 

For those heading to WCSC in the future, Thompson recommends going out into the city, “[experience] the festivals and what DC has to offer, don’t just stay in the house and do your internship because you’ll miss out on a lot of things.”

Adrian Delgadillo

Adrian Delgadillo is a fourth year Communications major from Goshen College. He’s the only Goshen student at WCSC this fall, but his desire to study and live in the city drove him to apply despite knowing he’d likely not know anyone in the house. “The whole concept of going to a city and staying in a neighborhood for three months really enticed me,” Delgadillo shared. 

Growing up in a Mennonite family and living in a rural community, Delgadillo wanted to know what it was like to live in a big city, “not a lot of Mennonite kids are able to experience a big city. . . so, being somebody from my background and being able to live in the city was very enticing.” 

So far, Delgadillo has taken advantage of what the city has to offer by taking in the nightlife, art, and history, but he finds the cultural diversity of the city to be one of the best parts about being away from campus. “Being in a place where multiculturalism has a history that’s here to stay is very different. You see multiculturalism in an organic way in D.C.,” he shares, “that’s what I like a lot about D.C. compared to living on campus.”

While he’s enjoying the city, Delgadillo is still making room for his internship. He’s working for the Latin American Youth Center assisting in community outreach and teaching a photography class to high schoolers. “I love my internship,” he shares. “[I enjoy] learning about the community through work [and] working with the young people is nice.” 

For those questioning whether they should attend WCSC, Delgadillo highly recommends experiencing Washington when you don’t have to worry about the realities of living in a city. “Very rarely do people get the opportunity to be a spectator to a city without really having to exist in it in all the hard ways,” he states. “If you want to come to D.C. and actually have an enjoyable time, not worry about money and being stressed out about housing and stuff . . take advantage of the program now. Even if you don’t like D.C., you’ll like it when you get here.”

If you’re interested in learning more about WCSC, go to emu.edu/wcsc/ for more information.