Co-Curriculum
What is it?
Madeira's award-winning experiential learning program, providing every student with 5 weeks of community service experience, a Capitol Hill internship, and a career-oriented placement.
Learn MoreDue to the weather, all classes on Tuesday, January 26 will be taught and attended remotely.
Madeira's award-winning experiential learning program, providing every student with 5 weeks of community service experience, a Capitol Hill internship, and a career-oriented placement.
Learn MoreImportant social, educational, and professional skills, such as public speaking, resume writing and team building are developed, preparing students for off-campus internships.
Learn MoreGirls begin to expand their vision to their local communities. During one 5-week module, the sophomore class travels off campus daily to work with community groups, such as Special Olympics and Garfield Elementary School.
Learn MoreJuniors have the unique experience of interning on Capitol Hill, most often in a Senate or Congressional Office. This gives students the valuable perspective of how government operates.
Learn MoreWith three years of experience, girls are ready to make their internship their own. With guidance from the Co-Curriculum Office, seniors secure internships to explore something that might become a lifelong interest.
Learn MoreAn award-winning experiential learning program, providing every student with 5 weeks of community service experience, a Capitol Hill internship, and a career-oriented placement.
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"On Capitol Hill, I had wonderful conversations about politics and other subjects and was able to converse so comfortably with people who were older than me."
Kemi Adegoroye '09
I didn't think I'd have anything to say to congressional staffers. But I loved my internship. These were some of my first experiences networking in an office environment. Those months on Capitol Hill helped prepare me for all the networking that I have done since. I have been able to strike up conversations and connections with people in a variety of different industries, no matter their position. And I am able to do that because I know what it's like to be a 16 year old working on Capitol Hill and discussing important subjects with important people. Those internships also gave me connections to people that have lasted for years and have led to all sorts of new opportunities after Madeira. All of this is due to my experiences with Co-Curriculum. I am so grateful that I was given so many amazing opportunities at such a young age and I am glad other girls have gotten to benefit from similar experiences too! Go Co-Curriculum!
"The exposure educated me in the field of medicine, and the placement has definitely impacted my career decision."
Marina Akhavein '18
It was really rewarding to see firsthand how you can change someone's life for the better. Being able to give back was an amazing experience.
"My internship at Amnesty International pushed me out of my comfort zone and gave me the tools to implement changes. I know I will stay involved in fighting for human rights."
Grace Lee '16
Going into junior year, I took that outlook of service into my internship on the Hill. Listening to constituents' concerns or problems. I began to think about our nation's issues at large, and knew for my senior year internship I wanted to focus on human rights.
"I've stayed in touch with my supervisor, and knowing my interest in journalism, she was a great resource for helping decide on my senior year placement at the Newseum."
Mollie Thomas '16
After a few days on the job, I was trusted with so many tasks: manning the front office (sometimes by myself), attending hearings, and doing research. There was rarely a time when I wasn't busy. Politicians are often seen as out of touch, but I got to see first hand how hard they work for their constituents. It was eye-opening. The experience really sparked my passion for politics.
"All my Co-Curriculum placements turned into summer jobs. My Madeira resume helped me get a job with ABC News after college."
Avery Miller '86
Madeira gave me the journalism bug. Reading the newspaper and keeping up on environmental issues led me in my junior year to working in the press office of Senator Mark Hatfield, a Republican from Oregon. Although low on the totem pole in the Senator's office, I would answer calls from reporters and direct them to a colleague that would get them the information they needed. This exposure to the inner workings of a press office fascinated me. My help with research or finding a constituent to put a face to a story showed me how journalism is character-driven. Senior year, I was lucky enough to volunteer as assistant to R.W. "Johnny" Apple, the distinguished international correspondent for the New York Times and stepfather of fellow Madeira girl, Catherine Brown Collins '87. All my Co-Curriculum placements turned into summer jobs. After my freshman year at Princeton, the New York Times hired me as a clerk during the summer of the Iran-Contra hearings in 1987. It was an extraordinarily exciting time to be in the Washington Bureau where the action was taking place. New York Times reporter Joel Brinkley would file his piece and then sometimes watch the nightly news before his story came out the next day. Eavesdropping on a busy newspaper newsroom, I realized the speed at which stories could be told through television. That was a defining moment in my career; I knew I wanted to be a broadcast television reporter. My Madeira resume helped me get a job with ABC News after college.
Co-Curriculum also shaped me through my sophomore year volunteer work. Social work had always intrigued me. On Wednesdays, I volunteered with four other Madeira girls at the Green Door, which provides services to individuals who suffer from mental illness, helping them navigate daily life. I worked with an individual who was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Together, we would execute his daily tasks like grocery shopping, keeping track of doctor appointments, and picking up prescriptions. But I realized I lacked the patience and persistence for this noble profession when our amazing supervisor, who had worked in the field for 20 plus years, looked at me and said, 'This is an incredibly rewarding job, but I don't know if I have permanently helped somebody.' Her honesty helped me understand my shortcomings, and realize I could help the mentally ill in other parts of my life's work. Thirty years later, through St. John's Episcopal Church in Georgetown and the Salvation Army Grate Patrol, my family and I work to help the homeless, many of whom suffer from mental illness. And at ABC News, our reporting team has worked hard to shed light on programs and medical advances for those who are grappling with diseases such as depression and drug addiction. Whether it's my professional career or my volunteer passions, Madeira's Co-Curriculum program created a blueprint for my life's footprint.
"All the little things that Madeira teaches you, like being punctual, speaking with adults, and always giving your best effort, prepared me."
Elfrieda Nwabunnia '17
I think of freshman year as a metaphorical and physical leap of faith. I was scared of heights, but as part of an Inner Quest zipline activity I had to get over that and jump. Despite not feeling confident in my public speaking skills, I had to stand up and speak in front of my teachers and friends. I learned to trust in my own abilities and those of the people around me, and that really prepared me for my work tutoring students my sophomore year. Going into junior year, I was confident that I had the skills to work on the Hill. As a senior at Voice of America, I'm helping worldwide initiatives for freedom of expression and democracy.
"I learned how to assert myself in a group of men much older than me, many life skills such as hitching a trailer to a truck, and most importantly, not to assume I know what a job entails from the title. "
Lena Badr '11
When I first started, I thought that I would be collecting leaves, testing water samples, and anything else that encompassed my naive idea of what a wildlife biologist did. However, it turned out to be the complete opposite of what I expected! Victoria, in fact, ran the biggest deer management program in the nation. I spent my days with volunteer hunters accompanying them on hunts, learning how to check local deer for diseases, and surveying parks for environmental damage due to overpopulation. While it was definitely a unique experience, and I learned a lot from my time with Victoria. I learned how to assert myself in a group of men much older than me, many life skills such as hitching a trailer to a truck, and most importantly not to assume I know what a job entails from the title. Overall, I am very thankful for Madeira supporting me through this experience. It has not only shaped me as a woman, but has also provided me with a very interesting story to share.
"Co-Curriculum caught my eye. It totally blew my mind."
Panithaya Chareonthaitawee, MD '83
I was working down in the basement of the museum. It was amazing. It allowed me to feel comfortable working with different groups of people. What ultimately came out of that was the knowledge that I like to work with people and to help people.
To know what you're going to like to do, you have to try Co-Curriculum.
“Because of the Madeira Co-Curriculum program, I was able to be at Rolling Acres Farm in Florida for the entire winter, working and shadowing them."
Hanna Powers '15
"My Co-Curriculum service during my senior year led to one of the most humbling and important moments in my life."
Camille Fox Lefere '98
I worked at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum during my senior year at Madeira. It was through this experience that I met Nesse Godin, a Holocaust survivor and dear friend. For our senior year Co-Curriculum project, Amy Arenstein Jackson '98, Peri Jacobson '98 and I brought Nesse Godin along with other survivors from the museum to speak at the Madeira campus and hold workshops. To continue their legacy of remembrance and commitment to never letting the world forget about the atrocities of the Holocaust was our goal.
I had the privilege of carrying on this commitment to humanity during my senior year at Beloit College with my dance professor Chris Johnson and fellow dance students. Chris choreographed an incredible dance called 'Wreath of Memories' in memoriam of the children of the Holocaust. I told her that that the friends I had made during my Madeira experience had to come to see the dance. I helped write a grant proposal and organize a trip for Nesse Godin to come speak at the college and view the dance performance. She was so moved by the piece and its message that she organized a single performance of it to be held at the museum in D.C. in front of 302 survivors and their families. Before the presentation, Godin asked her fellow survivors 'What's going to happen when we are not around anymore? Who will continue to honor the legacy once the firsthand witnesses are gone?' What an extraordinary honor it was and is to continue their legacy. My Madeira Co-Curriculum experience monumentally changed my life and I am so grateful!
"My time at Tubman, and Madeira, opened my eyes to topics of race, equity, diversity, and public education. These issues continue to drive my heart and work."
Erica Stukel Probst '96
A lot of new. I was nervous about being away from home, nervous about a new community of friends, nervous about success in the classroom, and nervous about walking into a Wednesday job in a school that required me to buzz in and show identification. A lot of nerves. Harriet Tubman Elementary is 98% students of color. There were a few double takes as a I, a white student from a boarding school, walked in the door on Wednesdays. The kindergarten teacher I worked with was so grateful for the help, the students hugged me, and the staff included me. I was new and nervous to so much that I had to let it all go and just experience what was in front of me. I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher. I am a teacher in the most diverse public school in our state and in a community that borders one of the most segregated cities in the country.
"All those writing skills and personal skills that I learned as a Madeira intern on the Hill are things that I still use today in my career."
Sara Akbar '92
I loved my office, and they thought I was so smart because I went to Madeira. Everyone else I worked with was probably 23 or still in college, and they were incredibly intimidated to be on Capitol Hill. And I wasn't, because this is what Madeira girls do.
"I have always had a passion for politics, but my time in California Senator Dianne Feinstein's office completely changed my life."
Madeline Alagia '13
Thirty minutes into my internship, I knew I wanted a career in politics and by the end of my time in her office, I knew I wanted to work on the Hill and one day run for office. I like to think that I always would have found my way to politics, but Madeira gave me the opportunity to get a head start.
Since my time in Senator Feinstein's office, I have worked on two campaigns: Memphis Mayor AC Wharton’s re-election campaign, and Member of Scottish Parliament Bill Kidd’s re-election campaign. I was also able to intern in Bill Kidd’s office prior to working on his campaign because the campaign period in Scotland is only five weeks long. My internship with Bill was through the Edinburgh University Parliamentary Internship Program, which was the study abroad program that I participated in during the spring of 2016. I worked for the Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) in the summer of 2015, focusing on two major campaigns: maternal newborn child survival, and early childhood education. I assisted the government relations group with their work to push through legislation that would positively benefit both of these campaigns. I am currently a senior at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN where I major in Political Science and minor in International Relations.
"Co-Curriculum at Madeira and working for Congressman Payne were both invaluable experiences in my life and have truly impacted my business."
Lindsey Holmes '00
I worked for Congressman Donald Payne of New Jersey my junior year at Madeira. And when I say 'worked,' I mean it! I not only had to do typical page tasks like delivering correspondence between offices or getting an afternoon snack from the cafeteria for the office secretary, I actually opened office mail, responded to constituent letters and represented the office at hearings. I credit that office with helping me build my writing, management, and interpersonal skills.
Years later, after attending Sarah Lawrence College in New York and living in New York City for a few years, I bought a house and settled in Newark, NJ -- Congressman Payne's district. I'll never forget in the first few months of living here, being in the post office and running into him. I reintroduced myself and told him just how impactful working for him during Co-Curriculum had been. He smiled, called me by name (12 years later!) and told me that he hadn't had a more dedicated intern since. Congressman Payne would become a client of my digital marketing and tech agency until his death in 2012.
I've recently become an Entrepreneur In Residence at the New Jersey Institute of Technology's (NJIT) Economic Development Center. With that position has come an opportunity to host some smart and very talented interns. I have made sure that their time with me is as actionable and hands on as my time with Congressman Payne, with hopes to affect their lives as he has mine.
"I appreciate Madeira for providing those hands-on opportunities for a hands-on learner like me. I learned a ton and gained tremendous confidence from those experiences."
Sage Wheeler '83
"The Co-Curriculum was one of the best things about my Madeira education. I am not an academic, but put me in the real world of work and I thrive. Upon receiving the two different report cards, my Dad remarked, 'It's clear you love work and are good at it; just try to get through school.' Get through school I did, but it was my sophomore and junior year placements where I thrived. Sophomore year I was a 'candy striper' at Washington Hospital Center; I worked in the terminally ill ward in the morning and helped in registration in the afternoon. Working with those at the end of their lives was powerful and poignant. Helping those coming into registration highlighted my skills and taught me a lot. I'll always remember my supervisor Margaret Stuckey's patient tutelage. The most memorable thing about being on Capitol Hill junior year was the opportunity to be in the place where decisions are made. Democracy and the federal government became real in that year. I appreciate Madeira for providing those hands-on opportunities for a hands-on learner like me. I learned a ton and gained tremendous confidence from those experiences."
"My time on Capitol Hill solidified my interest in politics and led me to become a political science major in college."
Katie Decker '11
I had my mind set on interning for my local Congressman, Sam Farrr, whose daughter was actually my old riding instructor for many years. So on my first day, we went into his office and called his daughter together. After that, my internship exceeded my expectations as I was always busy working or engaging with other staff members. I loved every second of it and they must have liked me too because my office called the intern after me 'Katie Decker' as well.
"I went back to work on the Hill later during a semester in college and was able to tout my previous experience working on the Hill at the ripe old age of 16!"
Allison Lefrak '92
One of the big issues that my senator, Carl Levin (D-MI), was focused on was implementing sanctions against South Africa in an effort to encourage an end to the system of racial segregation - apartheid. I have fond memories of the bus rides to and from the Hill, meeting my friends for lunch at Union Station, taking the trolley to the Senate floor, and opening lots and lots of constituent mail!
"This Co-Curriculum experience indelibly defined and set me on an ambitious course."
Anne McLelland Sullivan '74
The office operated with a fair amount of chaos, so opportunities for an intern were unexpectedly stimulating: attending press conferences, going with Bella to the floor of the House, and accompanying her to a march on the mall against the war. My political awareness grew and I started reading editorials. Becoming savvy about the Hill helped me get a job with the Associated Press during my college summers. Bella's example encouraged me to go to law school. The energy and connection with liberal New York politics stood me in good stead when I moved there in 1981. Years later, Bella would wave to me on Wall Street, 'Hey Annie! Let's have lunch!' This Co-Curriculum experience indelibly defined me and set me on an ambitious course, for which I am genuinely grateful to Miss Keyser.
"My Co-Curriculum Wednesday volunteer experience at Madeira sparked a surprising lifetime interest for me."
Elizabeth Jarvis-Hessami '89
My Co-Curriculum volunteer experience sparked a surprising lifetime interest for me. I always thought I would go into medicine, as my father was an M.D., but after a year volunteering at Columbia Hospital for Women I knew that medicine was not the path for me. My junior year would ignite an interest in Afghanistan and Central Asia which has guided my personal and professional life since. I was not excited to begin my internship on Capitol Hill that hot September day in 1987. I was not really interested in U.S. politics, or the long trek back and forth to the office every Wednesday. However, the year held interesting international developments which would influence the course of my life. The U.S.S.R. had invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and the conflict was still raging that fall. The U.S. was covertly involved in funding the Afghan resistance fighters (the Mujahedeen). Decision to fund and the details were being made right there on Capitol Hill! After my job of opening the mail was over, I was often sent to pick up the latest news reports on the conflict in Afghanistan, or to fetch a special report the Congressman had ordered. I tried to read whatever I could on the long trips down the corridors of the congressional building, sometimes stopping to read in the hall, and I read any reports I was allowed to once the Congressman was finished with them. Although perhaps I sometimes slacked on my office duties when I was deeply involved in reading the Congressman’s reports, I received a thorough education on the issues of Central Asia by reading them.
While volunteering on the Hill, I was also preparing for the Madeira Russian language and history tour of the U.S.S.R., which was to include Uzbekistan; a daring trip for a high school student, particularly at that time. When we flew into Bukhara the following spring, I was well versed in the conflict raging just south over the border in Afghanistan. The Uzbek landscape was stark and dry. The Mosques were a vision of beautiful teal and cerulean domes set against a brilliant azure sky. The market was exciting, the people friendly, and the hot, circular bread was outstanding. After college, where I studied International Relations, my interest and in-depth knowledge of Afghanistan surprised a kind, young man I met who had left Afghanistan as a refugee in 1980, and we ended up marrying. I now have a son, Rafi, who is well-versed in Afghan history, politics, and language and who hopes for peace in the region so he can visit his father’s homeland one day.
Sadly, 30 years after I secretly read those reports, there is still armed conflict in Afghanistan. I completed law school and an LL.M. (master’s in Environmental Law) and now spend my days researching and writing about conflict/post-conflict environmental issues in Afghanistan. The environment has been terribly degraded by decades of armed conflict, but there are a few bright spots where restoration has begun. My experience on Capitol Hill was life-changing but not in a way I could have ever predicted at 16! A hearty thank you to the Co-Curriculum program and Madeira; I hope to one day send a picture to the alumnae magazine of myself planting a tree in Kabul!
"I started there as a receptionist and rose to be managing editor. I now have my own international yacht charter business."
Sandy Heussler Carney '72
Although I wasn't exactly sure about a career path, I did have a passion for sailing and photography. While at Madeira, I took a photography course. The lab was located somewhere in the basement of Main and we only produced B&W photos. I thought some of my photos of sailing and boats might be of interest to the editors at Sail, so I submitted them.
While I was home in Boston on break, I met with the editors about my submissions. They couldn't use my photos, but did offer me the internship in editorial for my Co-Curriculum. Subsequently, the editor, Murray Davis, left Sail to start his own magazine, Cruising World, in Newport, Rhode Island. While in college I was able to do another internship with him at Cruising World. He offered me a job upon graduation from college in 1976.
I started there as a receptionist and rose to be managing editor. From that moment on, I have been involved in the marine industry at some level. I now have my own international yacht charter business, Sanderson Yachting based in Newport, RI
"I was on Capitol Hill at the Rayburn Building working for Congressman Bill Green, who later became mayor of Philadelphia, and I was supervised directly by his Administrative Assistant, Miss Tyler. She was in her 70's when I met her and few people in my life have ever meant as much."
Julia Trimarchi Cuccaro '78
To this day, my supervisor, Miss Tyler, is my definition of professionalism, efficiency and decency. She was like a general and she could type on this old, manual typewriter faster than the others on the new IBM electric machines. She did the work of three people, and I always felt one of the reasons Bill Green was able to do all he did was because she ran things so well. I wish I had a photo of her - she was only five feet tall. She was the first truly professional woman I got to work with, and she became my mentor. I stayed in touch until she passed away. She was always interested in women getting ahead and being better paid. What a great lady. She proves we all stand on the shoulders of those before us.
"One day I was rushing out of the office in the Senate building and went crashing into someone walking into the room...files flew everywhere and when I looked up I realized that I had crashed into Robert Redford who was going to testify in the Senate."
Katherine Holmes-Chuba '79
This was an eye-opening (and depressing) job since almost every proposal that the committee put forward failed to pass. One day I was rushing out of the office in the Senate building and went crashing into someone walking into the room...files flew everywhere and when I looked up I realized that I had crashed into Robert Redford who was going to testify in the Senate. I was mortified but he was so nice and helped me pick up all the files. Needless to say that was probably the highlight of the year for me!
"My senior year I interned in my own orthodontist's office. The assistants taught me to 'assist' by showing me how to take off rubber bands, remove wires while holding open someone's mouth."
Kimberly Ablard McGowan '83
Sophomore year, I was a candy striper at Washington Hospital Center in their oral surgery department. This was sort of the scary part of DC in those days...where they send the gunshot victims....I think I was the first and last Madeira girl to intern in their oral surgery. My supervisor was a very nice woman who was very tolerant of a privileged girl tagging along with her every Wednesday. She taught me how to assist in the surgeries which was actually pretty cool. Then I interned with Senator Durenberger from Minnesota junior year, because he was head of the Health and Human Services committee in the Senate. And finally, my senior year I interned in my own orthodontist's office. The assistants taught me to "assist" by taking off rubber bands, removing wires and how to hold open someone's mouth best while you are doing these things! They ended up giving me a book by Sarah Boynton (the cartoon artist) about chocolate (there was a hippo chasing a chocolate bar on the cover) at the end of the year, because apparently every Wednesday after lunch, I would buy a candy bar from the vending machine in the building! Remember you have to study to be a dentist before becoming an orthodontist. So that was pretty funny that I had a chocolate habit and I wanted to go into dentistry! Anyway, it apparently made a good resume/story for my college application, because I got into UVA, which turned out to be my dream school and made all the hard work at Madeira worth it! However, I took the freshman pre-med chemistry class and I realized that medicine may not be my calling....the good news is that I ended up picking a major I was really interested in and pretty good at, Rhetoric - The Art of Persuasion and I ended up in a successful career in sales!
"Not only did I read a large amount of constituent mail about Obamacare in its early days, but I also was in the office on the day Elena Kagan met with Senator Kohl."
Lydia O’Brien '11
Not only did I read a large amount of constituent mail about Obamacare in its early days, but I also was in the office on the day Elena Kagan met with Senator Kohl. She had just been nominated by President Obama to the Supreme Court, and she walked right by my desk, with a handful of photographers in tow. I was in an office with hugely friendly and welcoming people. Two of the Legislative Correspondents took me to lunch in the Senate Dining Room during my last week there, and we sat two tables away from Barbara Boxer (D-CA).
"The same dogged persistence I learned my senior year at the courthouse helped me during the decade of field research I spent interviewing and chronicling the stories of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan."
Nadya Hajj '00
I spent most Wednesdays at the Fairfax County Courthouse in Fairfax, VA from Fall 1999- Spring 2000 filing legal briefs, looking up cases, copying documents, and delivering papers. The monotony of legal minutiae sometimes wore down my resolve as an intern. Yet, I kept filing. Slowly but surely I winnowed the pile of folders. In March 2000, the trial that the legal team had prepared for so many long months began; and I saw how every small legal detail made a valuable contribution to a much bigger judicial process. It was a process the greatly altered the paths of those people in the courtroom, both plaintiff and defendant. Interning there was not glamorous work but it was good work. The same dogged persistence I learned my senior year at the courthouse helped me during the decade of field research I spent interviewing and chronicling the stories of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan. There were fun moments spent hearing the stories of refugees but the majority of my time consisted of tedious tasks like transcribing hundreds of thousands of words, analyzing data, and organizing research files. There were challenging times too, like when I contracted dysentery or when a bomb exploded in the refugee camp where I was working. My resolve was tested every day. Learning to make haste slowly as an intern during my senior year at Madeira was a critical component to the success of the research project. My good work culminated in a book much bigger than myself. Protection Amid Chaos, shares the rarely heard voices of refugees living in extraordinarily difficult conditions.
"I volunteered at the National Collection of Fine Arts, part of the Smithsonian Museum, which led to a lifelong career teaching art and art history."
Priscilla Craven '82
Ms. Craven is Senior Instructor, Language Program Coordinator at the University of Colorado. She is the director of the study-abroad program "Culture Wars in Rome."
"I was working with artists and seeing the cutting edge of design."
Sharon Saul Davis '78
They had a huge blow up of an architectural drawing silk-screened on the wall and my job was to stand on a ladder with a paintbrush removing all of the little extraneous marks.
Throughout my life, I've had so many experiences and made so many relationships I wouldn't have had if I'd expected to be paid.