CAS Urban Immersions
Your major is just the starting point. These faculty-led, alternative spring break programs take you inside Washington’s two major cities to explore how industries, governments, nonprofits, and communities intersect. Through site visits, conversations, and reflections, you’ll discover career pathways you may not have considered and learn how your own skills can contribute to building stronger, healthier, and more innovative communities.
Both programs offer small cohort experiences that encourage students to look beyond job titles and majors to see the broader ecosystems in which careers and communities thrive.
The Seattle Experience
Sunday, March 15 – Thursday, March 19
2026 Theme: A Sense of Place
Seattle is more than a skyline. It’s a dynamic intersection of culture, innovation, and community. A city that values identity, creativity, and belonging, Seattle offers students a chance to see how “place” shapes opportunity, industry, and civic life.
During this five-day program, you will:
- Explore how tech, health, and creative industries are shaped by the city’s unique character and values.
- Meet with policy makers, nonprofits, and grassroots leaders addressing the challenges of urban growth and equity.
- Learn how entrepreneurs and startups draw inspiration from the region’s history and geography.
- Connect with WSU alumni and professionals who have built careers grounded in both local impact and global reach.
Seattle’s story is one of innovation rooted in place. This experience invites you to see how your own skills, perspective, and background can find belonging in the evolving story of a city.
The Spokane Experience
Tuesday, March 17 – Wednesday, March 18
2026 Theme: Building a Healthy City – Perspectives from Across the Healthcare Ecosystem
Healthcare is a community-wide effort. In Spokane, you’ll see how professionals across sectors – clinicians, nonprofit leaders, engineers, policy makers, and innovators- work in parallel and in partnership to improve population health.
Through two days of immersive experiences, you will:
- Engage with public health leaders working on issues like food access, housing, and emergency preparedness.
- Explore nonprofit and community outreach efforts tackling inequities in care.
- Step into clinical environments to see how frontline care connects to broader health strategies.
- Discover how researchers and industry innovators create tools, treatments, and policies that shape healthier futures.
Spokane invites you to see healthcare as an interconnected ecosystem and to recognize how your background, regardless of major, can contribute to the health of a city.