The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations’ 2013 Washington, DC Summer Internship Program began this week with 25 student fellows admitted from a record number of applicants. The program offers the undergraduate and graduate students a ten-week professional, academic, and career opportunity internship in the nation’s capital.

As part of the program, students: 1) are placed with one of over a dozen Near East and Arab world related organizations in Washington, D.C., where they are expected to work 35-40 hours/week under the direct supervision of their host organizations; 2) take part in twice weekly seminar sessions designed to provide them with greater depth of knowledge about the Arab world, to underscore the cultural, economic, and political diversity of Arab states, and to explore the intricacies of Arab-U.S. relations; and 3) are offered a behind-the-scenes look at many of the central institutions of federal government, national security policymaking, international diplomacy, and international business.

The program features an energizing and demanding mix of professional involvement, intellectual challenge, career exploration, and cultural encounter designed to provide interns with a rich and varied experience during their time in Washington.