Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute
Congressional Internships Create New Opportunities for FIU Students
Through a newly developed mutual commitment, FIU and The Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) will focus on offering students support in their pursuit of corporate and congressional internship opportunities. This is a significant and organic next step for the relationship between the two organizations, said CHLI Chairman and former Congressman Lincoln Díaz-Balart.
“Internships are vital in providing students with the opportunity to showcase their abilities in a workplace environment,” he said. “You can be a wonderful student, with excellent grades, but employers are often looking for individuals with ‘real world’ experience. Internships can help students develop these skills and are a way for them to evaluate career choices.”
CHLI is an organization founded by members of Congress to advance the Hispanic community’s economic progress with a focus on social responsibility and global competitiveness. This is why the unique partnership between FIU – the largest Hispanicserving university in the United States – and CHLI is simply natural, necessary and continuously growing, according to Díaz-Balart.
“FIU is a pillar in higher education. The university encourages students to develop their knowledge of global issues by incorporating global learning courses into the required curriculum,” he said. “FIU is the type of academic institution the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute wants to be associated with. Together, we can develop leaders of tomorrow.”
This commitment and further expansion of the FIU and CHLI partnership will build on the current CHLI internship program by pursuing private corporate support collaboratively through FIU. Additionally, the initiative will offer exclusive opportunities in the Washington, D.C. area, and will aim to cultivate and engage both the FIU and CHLI alumni network for identification of mentors and internship sponsors. The concept of FIU as a powerhouse in D.C. is quickly on the rise, said Díaz-Balart. In fact, there are over 2,000 FIU alumni living and working in D.C. today. As a former longtime member of Congress who represented South Florida, Díaz-Balart understands firsthand the importance of FIU’s presence in D.C. “This concept exposes students and alumni to the world of politics and policy,” he explained.
“Throughout the years, CHLI and FIU have cultivated a great partnership that will now flourish even more. I am excited for what the future holds with our dear friends at FIU,” he said. “FIU is Miami’s higher education jewel.”
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