News Release
SF State student begins prestigious congressional internship in Washington D.C.
SAN FRANCISCO, October 2, 2008 -- San Francisco State University student Jennifer McCrea-Steele has been selected to serve as a Panetta Congressional Intern in the U.S. House of Representatives this fall. She is working in the Capitol Hill office of Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier.
McCrea-Steele is one of 25 students from California universities participating in the prestigious Panetta Congressional Internship Program, an opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience and insight into how policy is made in Congress.
"I want to hear about politics first hand rather than reading about it in the news," McCrea-Steele said. "I hope this will prepare me for a job in public policy development so that I can make a better life for those who are less fortunate than myself."
McCrea-Steele began her two and a half month internship on Sept. 22. She was immediately put to work answering large volumes of calls from constituents about the financial bailout plan.
McCrea-Steele has already demonstrated her deep commitment to public service: she worked as an intern on Jackie Speier's election campaign to the U. S. House of Representatives in spring 2008, and was an intern on Mayor Gavin Newsom's re-election campaign in 2007. She served as Vice President of Finance for the campus College Democrats in 2008 and has volunteered at San Francisco's Project Homeless Connect. A senior in communication studies, McCrea-Steele has a passion for issues of poverty, education and civil rights.
McCrea-Steele is from Lake Forest, Orange County, and she moved to the U.S. from Argentina with her family when she was 5 years old. Her desire to create social change stems from the poverty she has witnessed both in the U.S. and during annual visits to see her extended family in Argentina. McCrea-Steele graduates at the end of the fall semester and hopes her internship will lead to a job in Washington D.C.
"Jenn possesses an impressive combination of academic and applied knowledge," said Rick Isaacson, associate professor of communication studies. "She will bring passion and complete commitment to any job that she undertakes." Selected on the basis of academic record, interest in public policy and public service, Panetta interns are chosen each year by the university presidents of the 23-campus California State University system, Santa Clara University and Dominican University of California.
The internship program is sponsored by the Panetta Institute for Public Policy, founded by former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta and his wife Sylvia. Based at California State University, Monterey Bay, the Institute sponsors a variety of study opportunities in politics, public policy and government. The Institute covers the interns' expenses and provides a stipend while they are in Washington. Students receive up to 20 college credits after completing the program.
SF State's Institute for Civic and Community Engagement manages the Panetta internship selection process for SF State applicants and announces the results each spring.
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