The Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) will award three (3) scholarships to outstanding Asian Pacific American (APA) students committed to public service and community action, who will complete an internship in our nation’s capital during the summer of 2012. CAPAL is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan, educational organization that was founded in 1989 by APA professionals in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Its mission is to promote Asian Pacific American interests and success in public service careers, to provide information and education on policy issues affecting the APA community, and to serve the APA community at large. This year, CAPAL will award the following scholarships:
SunTrust Scholarship (2)
$3,000 stipend and $1,000 housing/travel stipend
(preference to students with financial need)
Asha Jaini Scholarship
$2,000 stipend
Awarded annually since 1992, CAPAL’s scholarships have enabled promising students with leadership potential to pursue public service internships in Washington, DC, while learning how to influence public policy decisions that affect their communities.
Application and scholarship requirements are below. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.capal.org or email questions to scholarships@capal.org.
Frequently asked questions
Q: What is CAPAL’s Scholarship program?
A: Annually, the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) awards scholarships of at least $2,000 each to outstanding Asian Pacific American (APA) college undergraduate and graduate students who will be interning in the Washington, DC metropolitan area for the summer. The scholarships are intended to enable outstanding APA scholars with leadership potential to work full-time and learn about ways to influence public policy in their local communities. Recipients of the CAPAL scholarships are responsible for securing their own internships.
Q: Who can apply?
A: Undergraduate and graduate students who will be working at a full-time summer internship in the public sector within the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Students graduating in spring 2011 are also eligible. “Public sector” may include any of the three branches of federal government, a state or local official or government agency, or a nonprofit organization.
Q: What are the selection criteria for CAPAL scholars?
A:The selection criteria for CAPAL Internships will include the following:
- Demonstrated commitment to public service, including service to the APA community;
- Demonstrated leadership and potential for continued growth in leadership skills;
- Washington, DC internship relevant and consistent with overall public sector goals;
- Academic achievement (minimum GPA:3.0); and
- Financial need.
Q: What is the application submission deadline?
A: Applications should be submitted by February 1, 2011 for early decision. The final application deadline is March 9.
Q: Is there an interview process?
A: Telephone interviews for finalists will be conducted beginning March 1, 2011. Finalists will be notified of CAPAL Scholar selections beginning April 1, 2011.
Q: What makes CAPAL’s scholarship program unique?
A:The following makes CAPAL’s scholarship program unique:
- Each of the CAPAL Scholars must participate in CAPAL’s Washington Leadership Program (WLP). For more information, please see our website: www.capal.org/programs/washington-leadership-program/.
- In addition to receiving the scholarship, CAPAL Scholars will be matched with a mentor who has worked or is working in the career field that the CAPAL Scholar is interesting in pursuing.
- Each of the CAPAL Scholars is required to research, propose, present, and implement a Community Action Plan (CAP). For more information, please see our website: www.capal.org
History of CAPAL Scholarship Funds
Funds for CAPAL’s scholarships were originally donated in memory of three distinguished Asian Pacific American public servants by their loved ones to continue their memory.
Asha Jaini
A CAPAL founder and an active member of many communities, Asha worked for ten years in the Washington, DC area as a public interest lawyer and counsel at the US Senate. Asha was a spirited leader in guiding and nurturing the development of CAPAL, and her dedication was vital to encouraging more young Asian Pacific Americans to become actively involved in community advocacy.
United States Senator Paul Simon
Throughout his distinguished Congressional career, Senator Simon, from Illinois, was a committed champion for APA issues. He was a leader in fighting for the Voting Rights Act extension of 1992, which protected the right to vote for citizens without English fluency; saving the “fourth immigration preference,” the visa most used by Asian Americans to be reunited with close family members; authoring the pioneering Hate Crimes Statistics Act; and initiating federal investigations into Asian American “admissions caps” at Ivy League and other top universities.
Attapong P. Mellenthin
In the early 1990s, Attapong Pradidsarn Mellenthin, known to his friends as Att, was a successful student leader at Wright State University, serving as the Director of the Midwest Asian American Students Union (MAASU), and guiding the organization’s transition and growth. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree in 1992, he served in the military for more than 12 years. On February 26, 2001, Attapong Mellenthin, an Air Force Reserve firefighter, an APA leader, and a devoted son, passed away peacefully from heart failure as a result of liver cancer.
Where can I find more information about past scholars and their duties or experiences?
Interning in the public sector, at places like those that CAPAL’s interns and scholars have joined during the summer, provides an opportunity to gain exposure to many of the issues and challenges our country and government face. Working in service to the public allows for insight into areas from the First Lady’s priority on lowering childhood obesity to executive-congressional relationships, foreign affairs, trade, poverty, environmental stewardship, economic development, telecommunications policy, and food sustainability and integrity. For personal understandings from CAPAL’s Interns and Scholars who held summer internships through our programs and their experiences and stories go to: www.capal.org/programs/interns-scholars/
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2010 and 2009 CAPAL Scholar Experiences
Rebecca Lee, Columbia University – Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, US Department of Health and Human Services
During a 13-week internship at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), I worked in the fast-paced communications office for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH). In particular, I had the opportunity to work with the ASH and the US Surgeon General on their public engagements. I contributed to projects spanning the broad field of public health, such as the launches of the health reform portal HealthCare.gov and the White House’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy. At HHS, I was also able to serve the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community as I helped develop communications strategies for such issues as health reform, hepatitis B, and organ donation.
The CAPAL Scholarship afforded me the tremendous opportunity to see public health at work at a federal level and helped refine my professional goals. Moreover, I am grateful for the community of like-minded, inspiring individuals I met through CAPAL. I have gained a deeper understanding of the Washington political landscape and of the need for more AAPIs to develop a stronger presence in public service.
Jenny Lau, Tufts University – APIAVote
Over the summer, I was afforded the opportunity to work as a field and policy associate at APIAVote, a national nonprofit that works to increase the voter engagement of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. By the end of the summer, I helped to create a voter mobilization toolkit for APIAVote’s community partners to use in their voter engagement campaigns on the ground. Additionally, I was able to travel to the Gulf Coast with other national Asian American civil rights organizations to assess the needs of Asian American fishermen who were impacted by the BP oil spill. As a policy associate, I researched local, state, and federal policies that impact voter access in AAPI communities.
I really thank CAPAL for the support it gave me to make my internship experience in DC possible. Besides the very useful stipend the program offered, CAPAL offered me a diverse and supportive community of like-minded individuals who are passionate about advancing the cause of AAPIs. I met AAPI student leaders from all over the country, in addition to AAPI young professionals working in DC, who were interested in mentoring college students and recent graduates. The CAPAL program definitely added a great deal to my summer experience in DC, as it made the capital’s resources more accessible by hosting panels with national leaders and by reminding us repeatedly that AAPIs belong in US government too.
Lily Cheng, University of California, Berkeley – Office of the Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative, Department of State
As a CAPAL Scholar, I interned at the US Department of State’s Office of the Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative. I worked with the new Feed the Future Initiative, which emphasizes country-ownership and a comprehensive approach to development and aid. I was responsible for conducting research and analysis on Feed the Future’s increased involvement with the Asian region, in particular, the countries of Nepal, Cambodia, and Bangladesh. My projects and reports also focused on the cross-cutting priorities of gender inclusion, environmental sustainability, and agricultural value chain development.
Through both my internship and time with CAPAL in DC, I learned how to link my personal experiences with international NGOs and local nonprofits to policy-making at the government level. The WLP’s variety of discussion panel topics and panelists provided an in-depth view into how politics and government are shaped. Having a community that both supported and inspired me really allowed me to absorb all that DC had to offer and bring that back home.
Tony Nguyen, University of Pennsylvania –China Desk, Bureau of East Asian-Pacific Affairs, Department of State
Greetings Potential CAPAL Scholars,
My name is Tony Nguyen, a senior at the University of Pennsylvania. Last summer [2009], I was offered the extraordinary opportunity to intern at the US Department of State in the Bureau of East Asian-Pacific Affairs, China Desk. My office is in charge of handling international affairs with China, Hong Kong, and Mongolia.
Working at the China Desk was dynamic. Aside from daily tasks such as attending office meetings and writing diplomatic briefs to the US Embassy in Beijing, I never knew what to expect. Some of my exciting responsibilities included escorting the US Mongolian Ambassador to meetings and organizing a high level US-China conference in which I got to see President Barack Obama and shook hands with Hillary Clinton! Although my experience is specific only to those working in my bureau, every State Department intern, regardless of their division, can expect a summer filled with learning and excitement.
Overall, my summer in DC was one of the best summers of my life—largely thanks to my experiences with CAPAL. As a CAPAL Scholar, I took part in its exciting Washington Leadership Program (WLP) inside the US Capitol building. During these seminars, I made life-long connections with motivated peers like myself and networked with public policy leaders from a variety of organizations throughout DC. I also attended fun CAPAL get-togethers and bonded with other members over activities ranging from barbeques to hiking trips. In short, CAPAL not only offered me opportunities to further my public service career goals, it also offered me a “family” away from home—an experience I will always cherish.
