They worked long days, experienced the inner workings of U.S. government and rubbed shoulders with the likes of U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader.
For the three NIU students who interned this past summer in Washington, D.C., the experience did not disappoint.
What’s more, the Illinois State Society awarded scholarships for the current school year to each of the NIU seniors. Hunter Huffman and Nma “Winnie” Okafor both were awarded $750, while the society gave its $1,500 Paul Simon Award to Matthew Venaas.
The Paul Simon Award is given to the top intern from Illinois, selected from a pool of at least 50 Illinois college students who worked in D.C. this summer.
Venaas interned for U.S. Rep. Bill Foster (14th District), while Okafor interned for U.S. Rep. Daniel Lipinski (3rd District) and Huffman for U.S. Rep. Donald Manzullo (16th District).
The NIU students had a variety of duties, which included giving tours of the Capitol to constituents, drafting constituent letters and conducting research on issues. They also attended an intern lecture series, where they met the likes of Arlen Specter, Ralph Nader and U.S. Rep. Barney Frank.
NIU Political Scientist Matthew Streb and Department Chair Christopher Jones worked with President John Peters and Vice President for University Relations Kathryn Buettner to establish the congressional internship program this year.
After a competitive application process, each of the three NIU students was awarded a $5,000 scholarship to defray costs associated with the internships.
Next year the program will be expanded to offer five scholarships.
- Tom Parisi, NIU Public Affairs
- Photo by Don Butler, NIU Media Services