The Córdova Congressional Program
Internships for Puerto Ricans
The Washington Center welcomes Puerto Rico's college students to participate in congressional internships in Washington, D.C., through the Córdova Program. Students from any major are encouraged to apply. Past concentrations have included political science, economics, history, modern languages, business, communications, engineering and biology.
The Córdova Program is identical to TWC’s other internship programs with an emphasis on cultivating diversity and international exposure to the wide array of ideas, cultures, people and professions that Washington, D.C. provides. Student Life activities allow Córdova interns to meet participants from other states and countries providing an enriching cultural and social experience.
Substantive Internship Opportunity
Students work full-time in their internship Tuesday through Friday. On Mondays, they attend programming with their program advisor which may include visits to the Capitol, the Pentagon, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, the World Bank, the Organization of American States or various embassies. They also attend lectures, conferences and workshops on issues including campaign funding, education, immigration, trade, soliciting federal funding, defense, and international relations.
Congressional Internship
The United States’ Congress and its work is the primary focus of the Córdova Congressional Internship Program. The Legislature of Puerto Rico created this program to cultivate future leaders who can return to the Island and become public servants who shape a stronger future for all Puerto Ricans.
Students in this program learn:
- How Congress works
- How bills become laws
- How a Congressional office functions
- The domestic and international issues under debate in Congress
- The work of the different federal agencies
- How laws made in Washington, D.C. affect Puerto Rico
Students also learn about issues like education, immigration, trade and international affairs through Monday conferences, workshops and visits.
The Internship Experience
A typical week blends a four day internship with program-specific rigorous academics every week. From Tuesday through Friday, they go to their internship placements where they gain work experience and acquire skills, abilities and attitudes that will benefit them in their future careers. They also register to attend one course a week through The Washington Center during their semester.
Mondays are dedicated to tours, lectures or other activities where they meet with distinguished leaders with diverse professional backgrounds. There, students engage in substantive discussions from different topics of international relevance as well as issues affecting Puerto Rico. Participants will visit organizations that offer unique opportunities to learn from global influencers such as:
- World Bank
- Organization of American States
- U.S. Supreme Court
- The Capitol
- The Pentagon
- Library of Congress
- The Newseum
Conferences also play a large role in the academic structure of the program. Throughout the semester students may participate in meetings taking place in Washington, D.C., that may focus on:
- Communication and Negotiation Skills
- Human Rights
- Immigration Policy
- U.S.-Puerto Rico Relations
- Education
- Transparency and Accountability
- Free Trade Agreements in Latin America
- Environmental issues
Students are encouraged to attend additional events on their own throughout the week to practice networking skills and engage in deep conversations on different issues with other professionals in the Washington, D.C. area. They also must work as part of teams in order to complete a civic engagement project by identifying a problem that affects the local community and engaging in creating a positive impact.
Sample Internship Sites
Intern on Capitol Hill
Because the focus of the Córdova Program is the U.S. Congress and its work, students are placed only in congressional offices of either chamber, in the Puerto Rican Federal Affairs Administration, or at Telemundo or Univison. Some of the places interns have worked before include:
- The Office of the Resident Commissioner
- Rep. José Serrano
- Rep. Nydia Velazquez and the Small Business Committee
- Rep. Xavier Becerra
- Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
- Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart
- Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart
- Speaker Nancy Pelosi
- Senator Harry Reid
- Senator John Kerry
- Senator Robert Menendez
- Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration
- Telemundo
- Univision
How to Apply
Students interested in this program must first apply through the Joint Commission of the Córdova Congressional Internship Program. If you apply to our program without first having been accepted by the Joint Commission your application will not be processed. For information about the selection process for this program, contact Cynthia Torres with the Córdova Program Office [2] in San Juan at 787-977-4725 or through internado.cordova@gmail.com [3].
