Where the City is a Classroom
Freshman volunteers experience life beyond Foggy Bottom
Who says a college education springs from a book or lecture hall? For hundreds of incoming freshmen at The George Washington University, it begins at a bilingual education center or at the largest homeless shelter in Washington, D.C.
Before they even set foot in the classroom, these students get a taste of the one-of-a-kind learning opportunities available from a university in the heart of the nation’s capital. Through Community Building Community (CBC), they spend three days volunteering at dozens of sites across the District of Columbia.
It’s essentially a crash course on the diverse communities – and social disparities – that challenge Washington. The volunteerism also shows students the power they have to make a positive impact on the city they’ll call home for the next four years.
As Megan Mozina, CBC coordinator in the Office of Community Service, explains: “We hope this program will instill a drive in students to keep them volunteering and working to improve the problems they see.”
One of CBC’s most enduring relationships dates to 1990. That's when Peter Konwerski, the assistant vice president for student and academic support services, and Mark Andersen at the We Are Family initiative collaborated on a way for GW students to learn about outreach and advocacy. A network of volunteers at We Are Family, located in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, forms a bridge to at-risk senior citizens living at or below the poverty line.
The GW Experience
Students
All in the Family
Greg and Heather Hachenburg talk about their undergraduate experience at GW, one of many sibling pairs to share in the Colonials legacy.
Creating Next Generation Leaders
GW program helps female students connect with leading women across a variety of fields and develop their roles as future women in leadership.
Where the City is a Classroom
Freshman volunteers experience life beyond Foggy Bottom...
Faculty
Fighting Neglected Diseases
GW professor works to eradicate diseases that affect the health, education and economic development of the world's poorest people.
Building the Super Computer
Pioneering lab puts GW at the forefront of high-speed computing and offers GW students unprecedented access to science and skills of the future.
Blast From the Past
Students map an ancient—and dramatic—eruption as part of a geological research program in the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains.
Alumni
Giving Back to the District of Columbia
D.C. public health director calls GW education the foundation of his career.
GW Opens Doors
A chance encounter with a GW alumna helped give one GW undergraduate, an aspiring broadcast journalist from Texas, his big break.
The Legend Lives On
The $2 million bequest commitment caps a lifetime of philanthropy and service to GW, establishing the Elyse B. and Donald R. Lehman Endowed Professorship in Theoretical Physics.