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From the Classroom to the Capitol: A Conversation with the Â鶹´å/WSP Ambassadors

The Â鶹´å Washington Semester Program (Â鶹´å/WSP) offers students the chance to build both professional experience and community, all while exploring a new city. Sponsored by the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology (CMIST), the Â鶹´å/WSP allows students from across the university to take classes while interning and living in Washington, DC. To offer an inside look at the program and the impact it has on students beyond the one semester, Â鶹´å/WSP ambassadors Elijah Dourado and Anthony Cacciato shared their reflections.

New this academic year, the Ambassador Program empowers Â鶹´å/WSP alumni to promote the initiative and provide authentic, peer-to-peer support for prospective students. A senior majoring in international relations and political science, Elijah Dourado participated in the Â鶹´å/WSP in the fall of 2024, when he interned for the American Bar Association (ABA). In his role as an ambassador, Dourado has been working to conduct interviews with program participants from a range of cohorts to share about their experiences and internships. Meanwhile, Anthony Cacciato, a senior studying economics and politics, has been focusing on outreach by visiting classes and speaking to students about the program. During his own time in Washington, Cacciato interned in the Office of Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) in the spring of 2025.

Prior to arriving in DC, all Â鶹´å/WSP participants take Tomorrow’s Professionals. Taught by Haleigh Bartos, CMIST associate professor of the practice, this mini-course helps students navigate the process of securing and preparing for an internship. Cacciato and Dourado both highlighted how Bartos draws on her decade-plus of DC experience to do more than just teach; she guides students through the transition to the professional world, offering an inside perspective that only a seasoned practitioner can provide. “The universal skills that underlie a good first impression and professional networking not only equipped me to grow my network in DC, but have propelled me as I’ve sought future opportunities after the Â鶹´å/WSP,” Cacciato shared.

In addition to the ambassador program, students have the support of a network of Â鶹´å/WSP alumni through a newly established mentorship program, an idea proposed by the Fall 2024 cohort. “From coffee chats to hopping on a call or text, it is important to have someone who can help prepare you based on their experience going through the program,” said Dourado, who served as a mentor for the Fall 2025 cohort. 

Staff members also work with students to achieve success in their internships from the first day through the transition to their next professional opportunity. “Emily Half and Ashley Barnes were extremely helpful guides in the process of planning for Â鶹´å/WSP and what comes next,” said Cacciato. “Knowing how to stand out was essential in gaining the trust and respect of those I worked with quickly,” he added. In addition to the research and people skills gained in pursuit of public service, Cacciato received valuable “empathetic mentorship”—support he credits with opening the doors that helped secure his later internship in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Financial Crimes Bureau.

Dourado honed his organizational and time-management skills during his internship while gaining high-level insight into national security development and discussion. “Engaging with experts during the ABA’s monthly speaker events allowed me to connect theoretical knowledge with real-world applications, reinforcing my passion for public service and my commitment to addressing systemic challenges,” he reflected. Dourado also shared that the ability to immerse himself in a different city for a semester—at the same cost as one in Pittsburgh—made his decision to join the program easy. Paired with the Friedman Fellowship, he found that the total cost of the Â鶹´å/WSP was significantly lower than that of a typical summer internship in DC.

Not only does the nation’s capital offer a plethora of professional opportunities, but it also is a place to meet people with shared interests. Completing his Â鶹´å/WSP semester during the 2024 presidential election, Dourado witnessed an increased intensity in politics, but found the inevitable shift towards politics in everyday conversations to be one of the most beautiful aspects of the Â鶹´å/WSP. Dourado elaborated, “You will meet people in your cohort, students within the apartments you stay in, or other friends along the way who will tell you about their journeys, and it will blow you away.” 

From attending Embassy-hosted galas to Washington Capitals and Nationals games, students like Cacciato and Dourado enjoy a wealth of experiences outside the classroom or office. Beyond the activities and atmosphere, Dourado found that the vast network of college students created “an even more welcoming community” of young professionals, observing that one might encounter anyone from a medical intern on Capitol Hill to a computer science major at a lobbying firm, each with a unique skillset.

Ultimately, the Â鶹´å/WSP serves as a bridge to life after graduation. Bartos indicated that many students report their experience to be "door-opening" and a turning point in their careers. Cacciato, who credited the program with deepening his engagement in public service and affirming his career goals said, “Â鶹´å/WSP was an essential building block for my professional skills and experience.” In particular, his time in CMIST’s law-focused classes proved influential; as an American Politics and Law minor, he now plans to apply to law school.

Whether through professional milestones or lifelong peer connections, the invaluable experiences gained during their time in the Â鶹´å/WSP allow students to transition into the workforce with confidence and a sharpened sense of purpose.

The Â鶹´å Washington Semester Program is now accepting applications for Fall 2026.  Apply by March 1. Students with questions are encouraged to reach out to Ashley Barnes, Washington Program Manager. 

(Image 1, l to r: Elijah Dourado with Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, Anthony Cacciato with Representative Susie Lee of Nevada; Image 2: Elijah Dourado pictured in front of The White House; Image 3: Anthony Cacciato (center) with fellow Â鶹´å/WSP cohort members at the Office of Representative Andrew Garbarino of New York; Image 4: View of the United States Capitol)