Asian American College Students Intern in DC Through Fellowships

On Sunday, June 9th the International Leadership Foundation (ILF) welcomed their 2013 class of fellows. Thirty-five APA college students and recent graduates who have demonstrated the potential to become future business, community, and professional leaders were awarded Civic Fellowships.

ILF Civic Fellows spend eight to ten weeks over the summer interning at federal agencies in Washington, DC, gaining firsthand knowledge of the inner-workings of the US government. This year, the ILF selected 32 undergraduate Civic Fellows and 3 post-graduate Dr. John B. Tsu Fellows and placed them with nine different federal agencies and with three members of Congress. The US Departments of State, Defense, Treasury, Commerce, Labor, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Congressional Offices of Representatives Judy Chu, Grace Meng, and Charles Rangel have all accepted ILF Fellows.

“I am proud of ILF’s track record of promoting public service and civic engagement of Asian Pacific Americans; our goal is to teach our future leaders how to use the government to serve the community,” says the ILF’s Chief Executive Officer and Founding President, Chiling Tong.

Mr. St. John Barned-Smith, courts and crime reporter for the Gazette and Washington Post Contributor, Dr. James Meng, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Financial Management and Comptroller, and Mr. Farook Sait, Esq., Conference Chair, Federal Asian Pacific American Council – all longtime supporters of ILF – also took the time to come speak to the Fellows at their orientation. By addressing the distinct social and cultural considerations of being an Asian American in public service, the guest speakers framed and contextualized the fellows’ upcoming internship with insight earned through years of experience.

Following the keynote speeches, the ILF Fellows were provided the opportunity to speak with a panel of past fellows from recent years. This more relaxed forum helped shape expectations for the new class and let the new interns benefit from the hard-earned experiences of their predecessors.

Christina Yuan, a rising junior at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland majoring in International Studies and Economics and one of five ILF Fellows interning at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), said:

“Orientation was very exciting and made us all look forward to our internships. We felt empowered by the speakers and felt grateful for their belief and investment in us. We are excited to build strong relationships with the entire class of ILF interns as well as with those in our respective offices. We hope to leave with a better understanding of the federal government and how we can contribute to a legacy of AAPI leadership.”

In addition to their fulltime internships, ILF Fellows attend weekly seminars and various leadership training events in the evenings and on the weekends throughout their time in DC.

Each Fellow receives a paid internship or $2,000 stipend, funded by the ILF and its sponsors. Students must pay for their own travel, housing and living expenses during their fellowships.Any undergraduate or graduate student of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage with at least a 3.0 GPA is eligible to apply. Each year at its annual Awards Dinner, the ILF recognizes public service by distinguished APA community leaders. Past honorees include Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Jackie Chan, AIDS activist David Ho, Olympic medalist Tony Dawson and business entrepreneur, Kanwal Rekhi.

The Honorable Norman Y. Mineta and the Honorable Elaine Chao serve as the Honorary National Chairman and Chairwoman of the ILF. Mineta and Chao were the first two Asian Pacific Americans to serve as Cabinet Secretaries.

Secretary Mineta says that “The ILF promotes and fosters bright APA youth to experience the inner-workings behind this great country’s national government, and provides effective training classes to enhance leadership skills.”