WASHINGTON–APAICS Chair David L. Kim recently announced that applications for the 2008 Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) summer internship program are now available. Interested students will be able to get the application form at www.apaics.org. The deadline is January 31, 2008.

The APAICS Summer Internship Program encourages the political and civic involvement of young Asian Pacific Islander Americans. It fosters their interest in careers in politics and public policy and develops their leadership skills.

Each year, APAICS selects up to 10 undergraduate students for a first-hand learning experience in American politics. Interns are placed in congressional offices, federal agencies, and non-profit organizations in the Metro Washington area.

 Placements last summer included congressional offices in the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, and the Departments of Justice, Labor, Treasury, and the Small Business Administration.

Through a series of seminars, interns learn about national Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) advocacy organizations. The interns will also participate in programs involving peers from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF). The CHCI, CBCF, and APAICS are part of the Congressional Tri-Caucus. There were almost 90 summer interns working representing the Tri-Caucus.

APAICS Summer Intern ’07 Parasa Chanramy, a junior at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, discovered the Cambodian community in Washington, D.C., and learned more about lobbying, advocacy and about “what I can do for my college campus and my community.”