CHCI Welcomes the Largest Cadre of Fall Students for Award-Winning Leadership Programs
Organization Prepares Young Latinos to be Future Leaders of America
WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In an effort to increase its impact and meet growing demand, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) - the nation's premier Latino youth leadership, development and educational organization – welcomed the arrival of eleven Public Policy Fellows, eight Graduate Fellows, and 24 Fall Congressional Interns, making this the largest group of fall program participants in the history of the organization. Specifically, this will be the largest-ever class of Fall interns, thanks to a new grant from the Ford Foundation. In total, 43 deserving graduate and undergraduate students from 19 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are taking part in the nationally recognized and award-winning leadership programs focused on developing the next generation of Latino leaders.
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"CHCI is committed to creating future leaders and to providing young Latinos a pathway to employment on Capitol Hill, in public service, and other key sectors, in the interest of narrowing the wide gap of underrepresentation," said Esther Aguilera, CHCI President & CEO. "Latinos will soon make up one of every two new entrants into the U.S. labor market. Our mission is to ensure that the future workforce of America is prepared and qualified to take on leadership roles across all sectors of the economy."
CHCI's Leadership Programs, which include the Congressional Internship Program, and Public Policy and Graduate Fellowship Programs, work to expose talented young Latinos to the inner-workings of Congress, while preparing them to become part of the workforce pipeline to staff positions on Capitol Hill, where Latinos continue to be vastly underrepresented. CHCI also strives to create diversity within its own classes of program participants. The 2013-2014 class of Fellows and 2013 Fall Interns collectively represent 12 different Hispanic ethnic backgrounds, with degrees or majors in 21 different fields of study, 77 percent come from homes with a household income of less than $45,000, and 60 percent are the first generation to attend college.
"I want to learn from the challenges that will come before me and prosper from the relationships I will build with the other fellows," said Ricardo Alvarez, 2013-2014 CHCI Public Policy Fellow. "I also plan to prepare for my immediate future and through this outstanding opportunity, I wish to obtain a skill set in legislative research and policy making that will enhance all of my future endeavors throughout my career as an attorney and beyond."
The Interns and Fellows participate in weekly CHCI leadership and professional development sessions and meet with corporate representatives, national elected officials and foreign dignitaries. They also engage in a community service project during their stay in Washington, D.C.
CHCI's Fall Congressional Internship Program is supported by the Ford Foundation, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., and UPS. The CHCI Graduate Fellowship Program and the CHCI Public Policy Fellowship Program are made possible by: AARP, AFL-CIO, Altria Group Inc., Amgen, API, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, BP Foundation, Cargill, The Coca Cola Foundation, Google, Microsoft, MillerCoors, New York Life Foundation, PepsiCo Foundation, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and Shell. Southwest Airlines is the official airline of CHCI's Leadership Development Programs.
Applicants can apply for CHCI's Leadership Programs at www.chci.org.
About CHCI
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), a nonprofit and nonpartisan 501(c) (3) organization, provides leadership development programs and educational services to students and young emerging leaders. The CHCI Board of Directors is comprised of Hispanic members of Congress, nonprofit, union, and corporate leaders. For more information call CHCI at (202) 543-1771, visit www.chci.org, or join us on Facebook, Twitter (chci), and LinkedIn.
SOURCE Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
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