Annual Washington D.C. Careers Field Study Trip

The Annual Washington D.C. Trip is a core initiative of the Duquesne University (DU) Center for International Relations (CIR) and provides students with the opportunity to meet and greet with D.C. based alumni of the program that have successfully pursued careers in governmental and non-governmental fields and come out each year to share their wisdom on careers in IR and security studies. Students mingle with alumni and other career professionals on the first evening of the trip at a reception typically hosted by friends of the Center for IR in the Capital. They then get to visit anywhere between 2-3 sites in or around D.C. to learn more about the host organizations and the work they do. Previous site visits have included the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Quincy Institute, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Secret Service, the Institute of World Politics (IWP), the Elliott School and a couple of others places whose names we can neither confirm nor deny(!) Recent funding streams have limited trip size to 12 students (mostly juniors and seniors). Previous trips have resulted in at least one student getting a job offer from one of the institutions and several others receiving application discounts from graduate schools as well as recommendations and other forms of support from alumni when applying to job openings. It is for this reason that we strongly support the trip and continue trying to raise funds for it. The more money we have, the more students can participate! Help us grow the pool of students that can be accommodated to go on this trip!

The Duquesne international Relations (IR) Club is the official student organization for the Center for International Relations (CIR) at Duquesne University. While many of our members are program majors, our doors are open to all, and we welcome students from across the Duquesne community. Our club is a place for students to come together and have casual but constructive discussions on world and domestic affairs and partake in fun debates and movie nights. Junior and senior students among us also offer mentorship sessions to our younger cohort, helping them navigate college life in general, but also providing them with insights on course content and teaching methods/styles of various professors to help them improve their academic performance and better manage expectations. The IR Club also supports the Center for IR in raising funds for initiatives that provide educational and career opportunities for students (like the D.C. Trip!). It is a key platform for showcasing the successes of our students and professors and we are very proud of how active we have been since our founding.