At American University, a student's education extends far beyond the limits of a textbook.

Learning can look like taking a tour of the city, attending local events, socializing with neighbors in our community, or even going to a party—there are no limits to the learning opportunities D.C. has to offer.

AU supports and encourages students to build knowledge from and relationships within the city. For the last decade, students have been able to take unlimited trips across the DMV on  the Metro through the U-Pass program, in collaboration with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Throughout the semester, students use their U-Pass for trips to school, work, internships, cultural events, and entertainment. Students also can learn through impactful hands-on experience for academic credit through the Community Service-Learning Program (CSLP)–learning beyond the classroom while making an impact in the DC community through service.

Helena Took Ethnomusicology to the Dance Floor

Helena Tran, a sophomore studying business and entertainment, sometimes does graphic design work at an off-campus cafe with friends. But her most memorable trip off campus was her first time at an 18+ club, and it was for a class.

In her ethnomusicology course, house music was just a genre her class explored through research. However, when an assignment sent her to a Lunar New Year-themed rave, house music became an exciting live experience.

She expected a crowd of mostly 18-year-olds. Instead, people of all ages were there. What she had known as a genre on paper turned into a culture she could see, hear, and move through, and it changed how she saw herself in an unfamiliar scene.

The idea came full circle when she interviewed a DJ for her research. As the DJ talked about technology, creativity, and the techniques behind a good set, she thought back to the DJs at the rave and recognized those strategies in action. What she had experienced firsthand—music as culture and community—relied on the exact same approaches her interviewee was explaining.

“There are assignments that require going off campus and bringing what you learn back to class to discuss it,” she said. “These kinds of opportunities are unique and vary between different classes at AU.’

Brody Reads the Case, Then Joins the Conversation

Brody Volesky, a legal studies major, tries to get off campus at least once a week, usually on a long walk or a trip downtown.

One of his regular stops is Politics & Prose, a D.C. bookstore with three locations, one being close to campus. Beyond books, it hosts events, classes, and book groups, and even organizes day trips and tours.

Recently, Brody attended “The Supreme Court 2026-27: Recapping the 2025 Term and Looking Ahead,” where a Georgetown constitutional law professor walked a small group through key decisions and previewed high-profile cases on the Court’s upcoming docket, answering questions along the way. Some of it echoed his classes, and some of it was new.

“I felt quite informed by the speaker. I knew some things he discussed from my classes, but I also learned new things that hadn’t been talked about,” he said. “The combination of these events in D.C. with my classes makes me feel like I’m learning from the best on things that relate directly to what I want to study.”

The city also keeps turning up people from his reading. In class, Brody often learns about foundational figures like Sir William Blackstone, the English jurist. Then, walking around D.C., he came across Blackstone’s statue and realized he had just studied the man.

“Because history is important in law, I see a lot of connections in the city since this is a very historical place where law is made,” he said.

He puts the bookstore event and the 2024 Kamala Harris campaign rally downtown in the same category: both left him saying that one of the greatest perks of being in D.C. is being able to attend them. The two were very different experiences. At the rally, he was one of many in the crowd, taking in the experience with the people around him. At smaller events, he is up close with the speakers.

“Being here in Washington, you really can connect with the big issues going on if you put yourself out there and make it to these events,” he said. “Students should take advantage of it even if their classes aren’t requiring them to.”

Adan Put the Textbook Into Practice

Adan Hernandez Nova, a senior majoring in strategic communications with a minor in marketing, is president of AU’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). Between that role and a senior-year workload, he admits he doesn’t get off campus as much as he’d like. But one night earlier this semester made him glad he did.

Through a former faculty advisor to the chapter, PRSSA members received exclusive invitations to a book launch party, with free signed copies of the book. The guests were professionals well into their careers, from government, business, AI, communications, and other fields.

What stood out to Adan was how many professions were in the room and how willing people were to talk with him.

“Talking to mature professionals far into their field is nerve-racking, and the skill to learn how to connect with them can be difficult,” he said. “But it was good practice to navigate how I can apply my background and skills to what interests them.”

A native Washingtonian, Adan says that just when he thinks he knows everything there is to do in the city, he finds something new.

The event also let him test what he had learned in class. Principles from his strategic communications and marketing courses stopped being textbook ideas and became practical skills.

“Applying personal branding in a real-world environment showed me how to market myself,” he said. “I thought about how to reach and connect with the different people in the room, and I utilized communication and marketing concepts in real life by being able to speak with them.”

The conversations also widened his sense of where his skills could go. He saw that his background fit more industries than he had assumed, and he began imagining how a career in public relations could look different in each one. He left feeling more confident about his future.

“There is so much opportunity and experience to leverage being in D.C.,” he said. “You just have to look for it.”