When Angela Veloza’s high school was unable to help her find scholarships directed toward Hispanics, she took the search upon herself.
Veloza, a University of Alabama telecommunication and film major, discovered the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute through her search.
CHCI is an organization created specifically “to develop the next generation of Latino leaders,” according to their website. Though it was the scholarship she was looking for, Veloza saw the opportunity and applied for the internship once she was in college.
“I am very grateful to work with them because they are one of the nonprofit organizations I have admired since I found out about them,” Veloza said. “They truly make a change, and working there, I see how much we care about each other.”
Veloza was placed in the office of Steny Hoyer, U.S. Representative for Maryland’s fifth congressional district.
Veloza said she was thankful to work with Hoyer because they share the same values. Because Hoyer is in a leadership office as the Democratic Whip, Veloza said she feels like she has been given extra opportunity to learn.
“Out of the 40 interns with me, I am the only one in the Capitol Building and in a leadership office,” Veloza said. “I’ve gotten to work with people who are really committed to what they do and who are extremely focused.”
Veloza said one of the benefits to her internship duties is that she is allowed into many meetings.
“I got to go to a meeting about Gear Up,” she said. “I’ve gotten to talk to Congress members about issues that are important today, and that’s been really interesting.”
Veloza said Gear Up, which stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs and is a grant program through the U.S. Department of Education, was a particularly interesting and important meeting she was able to attend.
Because of Hoyer’s availability, Veloza only interns with him Mondays and Tuesdays. Wednesdays and Thursdays, she spends her time in the actual CHCI office. She helps with the public policy and graduate fellowships and said it has taught her what it takes to run such a large, dynamic program.
“I have learned how much work it takes to be able to organize a program this large with so many aspects,” she said.
Veloza said on those days, she has gotten to work with some of the high school programs that come from all over the country. The program helps to expose high school students to public policy issues and what the CHCI internships are like.
Through all the different aspects of her internship, Veloza notes she has not only been able to gain insight, but also meet some very influential people.
“I was able to network with people in Congress, in nonprofits and in the corporate world and received some great insight into the work they do,” she said. “The people at this organization have amazing experiences and so much knowledge. I have met people from all over the world.”
