The Indian American Center for Political Awareness (IACPA), an India Abroad initiative, will sponsor 14 Indian-American university students as interns in its Washington Leadership Program (WLP) this summer. The 14 participants were selected from over 100 applicants, all of whom were asked to submit biographical data, letters of recommendation and respond to essay questions.

Anuja Raval majors in economics and political science at Boston University, where she will enter her senior year this fall. Her family resides in Fords, N.J. The past year, she worked on a project conducting research and analysis on the American Toy Industry. She has volunteered in a children’s cancer ward and is a member of a big sister/big brother organization on campus where she interacts with children. She interned last summer in the accounting department of Engelhard Corporation. She had volunteered for New Jersey Governor James McGreevey’s successful gubernatorial campaign. She will intern for Rep. Joseph Crowley, New York Democrat, whose Queens district has one of the heaviest concentrations of Indian Americans in the country.

Anoop Raman will be a sophomore at Brown University in Providence, RI. His family is from River Edge, N.J. Raman, a business major, is active in sports and forensics. He has volunteered for the Hourglass Cafe, collecting funds to benefit Oxfam America, an international nonprofit organization, which helps to prevent hunger. Raman has also served as a patient escort for the Hackensack Medical University Center. He has worked for Philip Morris International and the Vector Marketing Corporation to enhance his skills for the business world. He will intern for Rep. Jim Langevin, Rhode Island Democrat, who serves on the Small Business Committee.

Ami Naik will be a sophomore at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, majoring in political science. She is from Oak Brook, Ill. Naik has worked on an independent research project the past year, focusing on South Asian alumni of the University. She has worked for the American Civil Liberties Union and has assisted her college’s South Asian studies department to ensure that an adequate number of courses are provided in this area. She is also co-founder and editor of a newsletter titled Reality, dedicated to raising awareness about minority issues. Naik has also helped to organize a racial profiling seminar through an organization called the DuPage Voices for Racial Justice. She will be interning for Rep. Martin T. Meehan, Massachusetts Democrat.

In addition to their experiences on Capitol Hill, participants will be offered numerous other opportunities throughout the summer. Throughout the summer, the interns will also participate in a weekly speakers’ series, which will be highlighted by a session with Kumar Barve, Maryland Democrat, and Upendra Chivukula, New Jersey Democrat, two of the only three elected Indian-American state representatives in America.

The WLP is very competitive and prestigious on Capitol Hill. It has a large number and quality of applicants, most of whom are outstanding students with various extracurricular activities and deep commitment to their heritage.

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