The semester-long program will be piloted this fall through a partnership between the CALL, the 海角论坛 of Arts & Sciences, and the , Georgetown鈥檚 hub for educational innovation. Launchpad is a distinct cohort pathway within the CALL ecosystem. It is designed to build upon and amplify CALL鈥檚 professional development focus with more concentrated skill development, challenge-based learning and close engagement with employers, for a smooth transition to lifelong learning after Georgetown. 

The program features a signature course where students will collaborate with industry professionals and learn to effectively use AI systems to solve complex, real-world challenges.

Launchpad 鈥渋s about helping students translate their liberal arts education into purpose, action and impact after graduation,鈥� said , the associate director for strategic integration with the Red House. 鈥淚t’s also about translation, helping students realize and then articulate the real capacities they’ve developed in this environment that translate to the workplace.鈥�

Tackling Real-World Challenges

While Launchpad is being designed as a dynamic experience for seniors, students across all class years are welcome to apply for the Fall 2026 cohort. Those interested in participating should and attend an information session.聽

Students apply using , which is open until March 29. Late applications for Launchpad will be considered based on availability. 

鈥淚 hope students who join this program will be able to enter their next step with a deeper sense of clarity and purpose, along with more precision preparation to achieve that purpose,鈥� Howard said.

The centerpiece and anchor course for the Fall 2026 Launchpad cohort will be a new project-based, three-credit course, Wicked Problems: Learning to Plan and Decide in Human鈥揂I Teams. The course is taught by , a professor of practice in the School of Foreign Service and senior fellow in the and the Red House. A one-credit Launchpad Studio complements Wicked Problems with personalized coaching and mentoring, employer conversations and structured reflection.

Organizations invited to join the class may include financial institutions, consulting firms and public-interest nonprofit organizations, Murdick said. Throughout the course, students will team up with executives from participating companies and utilize customized AI tools to help define problems, evaluate options and plan responses to real-world wicked problems, which are complex challenges that are hard to define and lack simple solutions because they involve uncertainty, incomplete information and competing values. 

Both the students and industry professionals will benefit from collaborating and gaining more knowledge of artificial intelligence, Murdick said. 

鈥淭his is an environment to learn in,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t gives executives the opportunity to see emerging talent. 鈥nd students can have a lower stakes environment where they can get face time with senior people and work through problems together.鈥�

Advancing Applied Liberal Arts

Launchpad pushes forward the notion of applied liberal arts, Howard said.

A major goal of the program is to affirm the value of a liberal arts education, while helping students recognize that the critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills they鈥檝e gained during their time at Georgetown can be applied directly to their careers in a variety of professions. 

Murdick said it is common for students to graduate without fully recognizing the skills they鈥檝e learned. Launchpad is meant to uncover that more clearly.

鈥淪tudents often have more skills than they realize,鈥� Murdick said. 鈥淲ith Launchpad, we want to help them see how their education has built real capacity and how that capacity can be translated to have real-world impact.鈥�

Answering the CALL

O鈥橫eara joined the CALL program this past summer. Started in 2019, CALL pairs students with unique mentoring and networking opportunities and credit-bearing internships. As one of 12 students in the program, O鈥橫eara meets with the other students weekly to learn about their internship experiences and participated in a leadership seminar with Ambassador Kristie Kenney.

After discovering the internship with Public Citizen, a non-profit consumer advocacy organization, through Handshake, O鈥橫eara used his connections with CALL to apply and was accepted to work for their Democracy is for People campaign. While there, he drafted and published content for the organization鈥檚 Twitter and Instagram platforms in addition to compiling news clips.

He also called elected officials in target states like Wisconsin as part of Public Citizen鈥檚 push to pass another stimulus package to offset the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the wake of the upcoming 2020 presidential election, O鈥橫eara has also been tasked with community outreach to ensure that individuals are registered to vote and that poll workers have been assigned to voting stations.

O鈥橫eara says that this experience has not only helped him feel more informed about the issues but has also reemphasized for him the importance of voting.

鈥淚t is absolutely crucial for all citizens of the United States to vote in this upcoming election,鈥� he says. 鈥淰oting is the foundation of our democracy 鈥� when you don鈥檛 vote, your voice isn鈥檛 being heard. In an election when things like climate change and a Supreme Court nomination are on the line, now is the time to voice your beliefs.鈥�

Writing for Others

An English major, O鈥橫eara says that though this internship does not directly apply to his area of study, it does fulfill his desire to make a difference.

鈥淚 have always wanted to become involved with helping people in some way,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 am intrigued by lobbying, and this organization takes the bad parts out of lobbying by fighting against corporations. This internship has been a great way to combine my skill sets of writing, community organization and caring for others.鈥�

After graduation, O鈥橫eara hopes to continue to inform the public through writing. A current staff writer for the Hoya, he says that journalism is one career path he would like to pursue.