The OCA Summer Internship Program recruits approximately 24 undergraduate or graduate students from an applicant pool of over 200 applications. Decisions are often based on complete, written applications, and interviews are not necessarily given. The position compensates $2000 for 10 weeks of full time work and, based on available funding. In addition, OCA sets aside $500 for each intern’s travel expenses to the OCA Convention, held in Boston this year. OCA also assists interns in finding affordable and local housing resources for out-of-town interns’ transitions into the Washington, DC area.

Last year, OCA recruited 20 interns to participate in the Summer Internship Program. Their placements include: Capitol Hill offices of Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. (IL), Representative Nancy Pelosi (CA), Representative Susan Davis (CA) and Representative Diane Watson (CA); the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies; Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; Department of Commerce; U.S. Commission on Civil Rights; Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; Health and Human Services; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; National Education Association; and within the OCA National Office.

In addition to the interns’ placements, OCA’s Summer Internship Program provides unique supplementary experiences, incorporating the Brown Bag Luncheon Series (the Brown Bag Luncheon Series is coordinated by OCA with the help of the various national APA organizations. Weekly sessions address issues commonly focused on), leadership training, Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) events, visits with Hill staffers and federal agency workers, meetings with Senators and Representatives, OCA Convention planning, and staff and other meetings.

Some of the projects that our 2003 summer intern class completed as a group include the creation and production of the OCA 30th Anniversary video and the summer intern class of 2003 PowerPoint presentation; White Papers on affirmative action, HR 333 (AAPI Serving Institutions), hate crimes, post 911 civil liberties and the USA Patriot Act, immigration, election reform, and Proposition 54; writing and editing articles for OCA’s quarterly publication, Image; and writing letters in response to issues such as hate crimes and HR 333.

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