International Leadership Foundation Announces 2009 Summer Fellowships for Asian Pacific American College Students in Washington, DC

Celebrating 10 years of Promoting APA Civic Participation

For the tenth year, the International Leadership Foundation (ILF) will award up to 30 fellowships to Asian Pacific American college students who the ILF identifies as future business, community or professional leaders. Fellows spend eight weeks in the summer interning for a federal government agency in Washington, DC, and gaining firsthand knowledge of the workings of American government.

"The vision of the International Leadership Foundation is to recognize the importance of offering leadership opportunities to young Asian Americans is truly laudatory," said Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao at the ILF's Annual Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C.

Any Asian Pacific American undergraduate student with at least a 3.0 GPA is eligible to apply. Applicants must be United States citizens. Interested students can visit ILF's website at www.ILEADER.org to apply online or to obtain more information. The ILF works with government agencies to place each Fellow in his or her area of interest. Students who wish to apply must submit their applications no later than February 1, 2009.

Each Fellow receives a stipend of $1,500, funded by the ILF and its sponsors. Students must pay for their own travel, housing and living expenses during their fellowships. ILF Fellows attend weekly seminars and other events to learn about government, in addition to their internships.

"The ILF promotes public service, involvement, and effectiveness of Asian Pacific Americans," said ILF President Derek Chen. "Our purpose is to teach our future leaders how to use the government to serve the community."

The ILF is a non-profit organization that promotes civic involvement and entrepreneurial spirit of the future leaders of the Asian Pacific American community.  Each year at its annual Awards Dinner, the ILF recognizes public service by distinguished APA community leaders. Cabinet Secretaries Elaine Chao and Norman Y. Mineta have been recent keynote speakers. In 2008, Congressman Mike Honda, who has represented California’s Silicon Valley in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2001, and Honorable Bobby Jindal, the newly-elected Governor of Louisiana, were honored as Public Servants of the Year.

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