APAICS | Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies

APAICS welcomes a new class of interns

Eleven of our community’s best and brightest travel to Washington, D.C.

APAICS WELCOMES A NEW CLASS OF SUMMER INTERNS

For 18 years, the APAICS Summer Internship program has welcomed close to 200 undergraduate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students to Washington, D.C. This summer, eleven of our community’s best and brightest will forge a new path in public service and have the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in public government, policy, and AAPI issues on a national level. This long-standing program is another way APAICS strives to fulfill its mission of promoting AAPI participation and representation at all levels of the political process.

This year over 100 undergraduates applied to the APAICS program. Of the applicants, eleven exceptional young leaders were chosen to represent our diverse AAPI communities in public service. The APAICS interns hail from all over the country. These leaders are passionate about various issues ranging from health policy to environmental justice, to women’s rights and Islander rights, as well as domestic and international affairs. As our country grows ever more ethnically diverse, so do the APAICS interns as they develop careers in public service in our nation’s capital for the first time.

Our co-founders believed that our AAPI leaders should have access to different bodies of government, policy, and national AAPI non-profits to gain insight to national AAPI issues. To continue our founders’ vision, APAICS has the privilege in placing interns in AAPI non-profits, Capitol Hill, federal agencies, and the White House. With only a few weeks of experience, APAICS interns have already had the distinct honor of representing their offices. On the Hill, interns have written letters and lead Capitol tours to Members’ constituents. Similarly, APAICS interns have represented their federal agencies by making site visits to meet organizations that have been awarded with federal funding. APAICS interns placed in the White House have worked on national programs such as the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative and briefings for underserved AAPI communities.

During the summer internship, APAICS interns will have ample amounts of formal and informal opportunities for leadership development. This year, APAICS is offering AAPI interns an exciting communications training in July to help further develop their public speaking skills. Interns will also hone their leadership skills by building new professional relationships at panels, workshops, and other events hosted by AAPI and Tri-Caucus organizations.

APAICS is excited to welcome its diverse group of summer interns. They come from different backgrounds, but share a vision of service. We are dedicated to fostering our young AAPI leaders’ interest in public service to strengthen the political pipeline at all levels of the political process.

APAICS 2012 Summer Interns:

Liza Ansher

Brandeis University

U.S. Department of Environmental Protection Agency

Veyom Bahl

University of Pennsylvania

The White House - Domestic Policy Council

Tony Canseco

State University of New York Maritime College

APAICS Office

Vincent Fang

Syracuse University