Two former White House staffers from the Obama administration have created a scholarship opportunity for Latino students in Washington DC.
What We Know:
- The founders of the Latinx44 Scholarship Program are two lawyers, Antoinette Rangel, and Alexa Kissinger. This nonprofit program is designed to award Latino students with scholarships that will help fund internships that promote public service.
- The program is being funded by Latinos44, which is made up of hundreds of Latino officials who worked at the White House during Obama’s administration. It has already raised more than $10,000 and will provide $1,500 scholarships to Latino students in DC.
- The scholarship is open to college or graduate students who identify with the Latinx community as long as they have secured a public service internship in D.C. for the summer. The program will provide students with professional development opportunities and mentors that will help them within their specific career paths.
- Rangel began her career as an intern for the Office of Political Affairs in the White House. “I knew White House interns who had to take out personal loans or work multiple jobs or really live on a frugal budget,” she told NBC News. “For students coming from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, it could mean them not taking an opportunity.”
- Last year, The National Association of Colleges and Employers found that Hispanic students were the demographic who had never had an internship among college seniors. If they did, it was likely unpaid. Additionally, Latino students only make up 5 percent of congressional interns despite the demographic representing 20 percent of undergraduate students in the nation, according to the nonprofit Pay Our Interns.
- Rangel hopes that the program will support the next “generation of Latinx leaders.” “We just want to make sure Latinx students have the same opportunities as their peers from other backgrounds, so they get these experiences of a lifetime,” she said.
The deadline to apply for the scholarship is April 1st.
