Ben Durren of Gloucester, a history major at Eastern Mennonite University, recently completed an internship through the Washington Community Scholars’ Center.

Durren was collecting and organizing archives for researchers, and cataloging new additions to the collections for the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. He said a highlight was seeing the bullet that killed President James Garfield.

At the heart of the WCSC program are professional internships in a variety of settings where students make positive contributions to the community and gain vocational direction.

Students also get to experience city life, explore Washington’s cultural and historic attractions, learn about issues such as gentrification, and manage a house budget, and relationships in the communal living environment of the Nelson Good House, home of WSCS.  ...