Youths begin Internships

Thirty Asian American students are selected for this summer's internship program hosted by the International Leadership Foundation. On Sunday the students attended orientation at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Liu Chang / China Daily

After going through a nationwide competition, 30 Asian American students including ethnic groups of Chinese, South Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese, and Miao American, are about to start an internship in various US government branches under a program hosted by the International Leadership Foundation.

The International Leadership Foundation has provided leadership training opportunities for outstanding Asian-American youth for years, offering scholarships to over 1,000 and assigning them to various federal agencies for an eight-week internship program in Washington.

The Public Affairs internship program of the International Leadership Foundation assigned the students to 12 federal government departments and offices for internships this year, including the departments of State, Defense, and Commerce. For four consecutive years, the interns have also been selected to intern at the White House.

These young scholars are expected to understand the US Congress, and the White House operations and policy development.

"We hope every intern has a good working experience. At the end of the day, the most important thing is that every one of these interns learns how the federal government works and takes that knowledge back with them," said Joel Szabat, the founder of the International Leadership Foundation. "When they graduate, whether they come back to work for the government or they become doctors, lawyers in private sectors, they have that information and know how to access the government to help the community."

These students are expected to become potential leaders in the near future. Szabat said that all of them have a strong academic background, but more importantly, "they have leadership qualities." The foundation carefully looked at their resume, history, and the organizations the students were affiliated with. "We looked who are likely to be leaders five years and 10 years from now," said Szabat.

Chiling Tong, the CEO of the International Leadership Foundation, said that the students from all over the country come to the capitol to study together, expand their horizon, and establish a network. "They will become more creative, decisive, and competitive," said Tong.

changliu@chinadailyusa.com