Norm Mineta Internship Immersion Program to Provide 150 Fully-Funded Defense-Related College Internships in 2006

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars is now accepting applications from students for next year’s summer term defense-related internships, through the Norm Mineta Internship Immersion Program. This program, established by the U.S. Congress in partnership with The Washington Center, is named in honor of current U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta.

The Norm Mineta Program was established by the U.S. Congress to provide internship opportunities within the U.S. Department of Defense and other defense-related agencies for U.S. undergraduate students who are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The goal of the program is to provide eligible students interested in national defense an opportunity to work and gain experience that will qualify them for a future career in this field.

The internship program includes a 36 hour/week defense-related internship and participation in academic programming: a weekly academic course, the Verizon Congressional Speaker Series, the Presidential Lecture Series, the Embassy Visit Program, small group discussions, special briefings and tours, and other related activities. Students will be responsible for graded portfolio assignments, and will be evaluated for performance by The Washington Center’s program staff, course instructor, and the internship supervisor. The summer term program is ten weeks.

The Norm Mineta Program will fund each accepted student’s application fee, program fee, and housing fee at The Washington Center. The program will also cover the cost of each student’s roundtrip travel to and from Washington , D.C. and provide a $250/week stipend. Sixty fully-paid internships were available for spring semester 2006, and 90 will be available for the summer term.

“The Norm Mineta Program is a wonderful opportunity for students interested in defense to gain firsthand experience working with people who are responsible for the safety of our country,” said Michael B. Smith, president of The Washington Center. “The Washington Center is proud to have been selected by the U.S. Congress as its partner to provide professional and leadership training to selected students, and to have the continued support of Secretary Mineta for the work that our organization does.”

Secretary Norman Y. Mineta served for six years as a member of the Board of Directors at The Washington Center. He became the first Asian-American cabinet member in U.S. history when he was appointed Secretary of Commerce with the Clinton Administration. He is also the only cabinet member in history to cross over directly from a Democratic to a Republican cabinet. Secretary Mineta served as a U.S. Army intelligence officer in Japan and Korea during the 1950s-60s. He and his wife, Deni, have been long-time supporters and friends of The Washington Center.

The Washington Center will be accepting applications for the Norm Mineta Internship Immersion Program for the summer 2006 semester until February 3, 2006. This is a competitive program and students should check to see that they meet the eligibility requirements before applying.

Download additional information on the Norm Mineta Internship Immersion Program

For more information, contact:

Ajay Ojha
The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars
Telephone: 202-336-8074
Email: ajayo@twc.edu

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars is an independent, nonprofit educational organization founded in 1975. Its mission is to prepare college and university students for civic leadership through experiential education. In this way, The Washington Center seeks to promote future leadership for the public, private and nonprofit sectors of society. It has served more than 34,000 students from over 1000 colleges and universities. Visit our website at www.twc.edu.

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