APAICS | Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies

In the News: APAICS Summer Interns Hard at Work

[Asian Fortune] http://bit.ly/cwX52K

Washington, D.C.—Amidst the Washington summer heat, 13 Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) students have arrived to learn how Washington works. These interns will become a part of the Tri-Caucus organizations that will bond together over the coming eight weeks either working in a congressional office, federal agency, or a non-profit organization.

The Tri-Caucus organization is made up of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF), the Congressional Hispanic Institute for Congressional Studies (CHCI) and APAICS. There are 85 summer interns among the three organizations.

The summer interns met for the first time at the welcoming reception in the Rayburn House Office Building on Wednesday, June 16, when they heard from the following members of Congress: Nydia Velazquez (NY), Jose Serrano (NY), Donald Payne (NJ), Barbara Lee (CA),

Grace Napolitano (CA) and Madeleine Bordallo (GU). The event was sponsored by Pepsi-Cola and each organization’s leaders spoke at the reception. Esther Aguilera, President & CEO of CHCI, Dr. Elsie Scott, President & CEO of CBCF, and Ruby G. Moy, Acting Executive Director of APAICS.

“APAICS is very proud of our selection of interns for the Class of 2010. These students are our future leaders and we want them to learn from their experiences in Washington to help them in making decisions regarding their future,” stated Moy. The following are APAICS’ interns: Michael Dee (University of California, San Diego); Anita B. Hofschneider (Harvard); Jessica Li (University of California, Berkeley); Lin Rui Li (Mills College); Sondra Morishima (New York University); Gabriel K. Papa (Whittier College); Nguyen T. Pham (Stanford University); Hinh D. Tran (University of California, Berkeley); Bonny Tsang (University of Pennsylvania); Kasey J. Wang (University of Michigan); Albert Yan (Northwestern University); Richard J. Young (Ohio State University); and Allen Zhang (Yale University). Job placements have been with members of Congress, federal agencies, and a non-profit.

Kasey J. Wang, who is interning in Oregonian Congressman David Wu’s Office, was recently selected to be a part of the Stennis Program for Congressional Interns. She will be one of 20 summer students who will meet with senior congressional staff and other interns from other parts of the country in a series of weekly meetings to explore workings of Congress and how it relates to other institutions in Washington. “I am extremely happy to have been selected for this prestigious position. I look forward to joining the other interns and to learn more about the workings of Congress,” said Wang.

The Stennis Program is a bipartisan, bicameral program designed to provide congressional summer interns with an unprecedented opportunity to better understand the operations of Congress. The Stennis Program was named after the former Senator John Stennis of Mississippi. He served in the U.S. for over 41 years before retiring. He stood for U.S. military superiority.

Sondra Morishima, who is assigned to the Doorkeeper’s Office of the United States Senate, became emotional when she was given the privilege of lowering the U.S. Flag over the Senate side of the Capitol signifying that the business of the day had concluded. “It was a deep honor for me to have this rare opportunity of lowering our U.S. Flag at the beginning of my internship. I was deeply touched and overwhelmed,” said Morishima.