Today CHCI welcomes its second Spring Congressional Internship class to Washington, D.C. Sixteen undergraduates from 11 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico will take part in CHCI’s nationally-recognized CHCI Congressional Internship Program (CIP). Over the next 12 weeks, these young students will work in congressional offices, gain access to a powerful network of Latino leaders, and participate in CHCI’s leadership development curriculum.
With the support of Walmart, the CIP offers three internship sessions each year that provides Latino college students unmatched job opportunities in congressional offices on Capitol Hill. The goal of the program is to expose talented Latino college students to the inner-workings of the federal government while preparing them to become part of the workforce pipeline to fill leadership positions in all sectors – private, public, and non profit.
The 2011 Spring Congressional Internship class reflects the national diversity of the Latino community, representing nine ethnic backgrounds, 16 academic institutions, and eight academic majors. Nearly 40 percent of the class is the first generation to attend college and 56 percent come from homes with total income below $30,000.
The CIP provides Latino college students with work placement on Capitol Hill four days a week, where they gain substantive work and networking experience. Interns also participate in once-a-week educational programs and leadership training at CHCI headquarters, where they meet with national public- and private-sector leaders and engage in national policy discussions. Interns are required to complete a community service project and are provided with housing, roundtrip transportation to and from Washington, D.C., and a stipend. All of this is possible through longstanding support from Walmart and Southwest Airlines – official airline of CHCI’s Congressional Internship Program.
