AAPD announces its Congressional, IT interns

From an AAPD release:

WASHINGTON, D.C. –- The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is pleased to announce that eight college students with disabilities from across the country have been chosen as part of the prestigious Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation-AAPD Congressional Internship Program. Another 10 college students with disabilities from across the country have been chosen as interns as part of the prestigious Microsoft-AAPD Federal I.T. Internship Program.

The Congressional internship program, a paid summer internship program sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) since its inception in 2002, was designed to provide college and university students with disabilities the opportunity to obtain first-hand knowledge of the legislative and political process, and a unique learning experience that enriches their educational endeavors and enhances their future career opportunities.

The following students will spend 10 weeks in Washington, D.C., as part of the Congressional internships:


* Fabio Botarelli of New York, NY, is studying political science and formal organizations at Trinity College;
* Leah Katz-Hernandez of Montgomery Village, MD, is studying government and English at Gallaudet University;
* Andrew Lustig of Woodmere, NY, is studying international relations at Lehigh University;
* Rohmteen Mokhtari of Houston, TX, is studying political science, sociology and psychology at The George Washington University;
* Ari Ne’eman of East Brunswick, NJ, is studying political science at the University of Maryland Baltimore County;
* Austin Slaymaker of Blanchard, OK, is studying political science, economics and international studies at the University of Oklahoma;
* Nathan Turner of Holland, OH, is studying political science at Wright State University;
* Stephanie Woodward of Rochester, NY, is studying business management and English at St. John Fisher College.

Last year, Congressional interns worked in the offices of Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R- WI), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D- WI), then-Senator Hilary Clinton (D-NY), House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman William Delahunt (D-MA) and then-Senator Barack Obama (D-IL).

The IT internships are sponsored by Microsoft Corporation since its inception in 2003, the Microsoft-AAPD Federal I.T. Internship Program is designed to provide college students with disabilities interested in pursuing careers in information technology with an opportunity to gain experience working in the federal government.

This program gives the participating interns real-world work experience, further enhances their employment opportunities, allows them to hone their information technology skills, and enables them to learn firsthand how political and regulatory processes work. By harnessing the talent that exists among college students with disabilities, the internships demonstrate to public and private employers that students with disabilities are solid prospects as members of the information technology workforce.

The following students will spend 10 weeks in Washington, D.C., as part of the IT internships:


* James Dietz of Brooklyn, NY, is studying computer science at Oberlin College;
* Adam Dovens of Herndon, VA, is studying civil engineering technology and business administration at Old Dominion University;
* Peter C. Jensen of Cedar City, Utah, is studying engineering technology with an emphasis in CAD/CAM at Southern Utah University;
* Jackson Lane of Oakland, CA, is studying business administration at Carnegie Mellon University;
* David McKee of Cleveland Heights, OH, is studying arts technology and information technology at Cuyahoga Community College;
* Robert Ogren of Parker, CO, is studying information security and forensics at Rochester Institute of Technology;
* Mitchell Paschen of Baraboo, WI, is studying information technology infrastructure and geography at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater;
* Sheiba Tafazzoli of Chatsworth, CA, is studying computer engineering and ISCOR at San Diego State University;
* Daman Wandke of Silverdale, WA, is studying business administration and management information systems at Western Washington University.

Previous interns have worked with the US Coast Guard, US Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, US Department of Commerce and the Federal Railroad Administration.

The 2009 interns were selected on the basis of a written application and competitive interview process. You can learn more about the interns here.