While on Close Up, David Roghair learned how accessible the government is to its citizens. Now, as a magistrate judge, Roghair makes his courtroom accessible to his community. For Hon. David Roghair, the Close Up journey from Alaska’s northernmost coast to Washington, D.C., was long, but it was worth it. With his classmates from Barrow […]

Verenice Castillo’s devotion to her community took her from being a Close Up student in front of the White House to being a dinner guest at the White House. All of Castillo’s concerns about being in a new country were put to rest after her experience on Close Up’s Program for New Americans (PNA) in […]

As a young high school student interested in political philosophy, McDonald was excited to register for Close Up. He began the program week with a robust knowledge of American political philosophy and the political process from reading the Founding Fathers. McDonald learned through his studies that that he should have a say in his government […]

Considering diverse ideas is not only an important part of the Close Up experience, it has also proved to be a key part of Colleen Creighton’s success. Growing up on a farm in North Smithfield, RI, she never had an opportunity to have in-depth political conversations with students from other areas. However, once on Close […]

Before joining Close Up, Brent Rudell spent three years working on Capitol Hill, completing a full congressional cycle. He witnessed the legislative process from start to finish: drafting a bill from an idea, walking it through committee and floor votes, securing approval from both the House and Senate, and finally attaining the President’s signature to […]

Paul Schreiber identifies himself as a storyteller, organizer, and engineer, and has successfully combined all three elements in his career. His record of political involvement includes campaign work in his native Canada, as well as south of the border in the United States. He has worked on computer systems for two globally recognized companies, Apple […]

A longtime civic leader in Washington, DC, Councilmember Brianne Nadeau remembers one of her first experiences in the District was a 1997 Close Up trip. As one of a dozen students from Grosse Pointe, MI, she visited the memorials and museums that Close Up students have explored for more than four decades. The civics teacher […]

Jaylin D. McClinton has been a fervent believer in civic engagement and social justice for as long as he can remember. As a Community Organizer for the Obama Foundation in his hometown of Chicago, IL, he puts his convictions into practice every day. Going into the local community regularly to talk to residents directly, he […]

These days, Rep. Amy Sue Vruwink spends her days working to craft and pass legislation as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly representing the 70th Assembly district in central Wisconsin. Twenty years ago, in the spring of 1993, she was exploring the nation’s capital and the federal government–and getting a taste for a public […]

As a teacher, lawyer, blogger, fundraiser, and Jeopardy! winner, Jeff Spoeri has just about done it all. His connection to Close Up began in 1983 as a high school junior visiting Washington, DC from Plantation High School in Plantation, FL, near Fort Lauderdale. After high school, he attended the College of William and Mary, in […]