CHLI News

Washington, D.C. – The Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) welcomed a new group of CHLI Global Leaders to the nation's capital, Washington D.C. The students kicked off the program with an eventful orientation where they had the chance to tour the White House and the Capitol, while also getting the opportunity to sit down and chat with corporate leaders, CHLI Board Members, Latino Hill Staffers, and CHLI Alumni.

During the semester-long internship, students are placed at the heart of policymaking, learning about the day-to-day activities of a congressional office and corporate government affairs office. Students are also enrolled in the Semester in Washington program at George Washington University, where they earn academic credit.

Honors College student Maurieugenia Gurdian, a senior majoring in political science and international relations, is having the experience of a lifetime, participating in two internships in Washington, D.C., this semester.

Gurdian is a part of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute CHLI Global Leaders Program, a 15-week, semester-long internship program featuring for-credit coursework at a local university and placement in Congressional and corporate legislative affairs offices in Washington, D.C.

The Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) welcomed the Fall 2019 Global Leaders at the Comcast, NBC Universal, Telemundo office to kick off their first day of orientation!

Alfredo Oballos Diaz, a senior studying international relations, was one of 20 students to intern in Washington, D.C. this past Spring semester, though his experience was uniquely personal. 

Oballos Diaz, a Venezuelan asylum seeker, was able to work on legislation such as H.R. 549 that aims to support asylum seekers, introduced in the House of Representatives in January. The legislation proposes to allow Venezuelans eligibility for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the United States.  

“As a Venezuelan refugee myself, I feel extremely humbled by the opportunity to help my people through the work I am doing on the Hill,” Oballos Diaz said.

Olivia Padilla, an alumna of The University of New Mexico Class of 2018, is finishing a jampacked semester in Washington, D.C., as the first New Mexican to be a Global Leaders Fellow with the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI). CHLI gives students hands-on experience in congressional and corporate offices while earning academic credit hours.

Padilla graduated from UNM in May 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and International Studies with concentrations in Latin America and conflict, peace, and diplomacy, and a minor in Spanish. While an undergraduate, she was a tour guide for the UNM Office of Admissions, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council #8096, Associated Students of UNM Senator, a member of Trailblazers, and Chi Omega sorority. She studied abroad in Mexico and Italy. 

Check out what our CHLI Global Leaders have been up to since landing in Washington, D.C.!

Our Spring 2019 CHLI Global Leaders have been out and about since landing. Thank you to our CHLI Global Leaders Sponsors for making this opportunity possible: John Hoel, Altria Client Services; Leo Munoz, Comcast Foundation; Heather Kennedy, The Home Depot; Jessica Herrera-Flanigan, Univision; and Maria Luisa Boyce, UPS. 

La ex-Congresista Ileana Ros-Lehtinen presidirá la campaña de becas de El Instituto Congresional de Liderazgo Hispano. ‘We Belong’, la campaña de becas de El Instituto Congresional de Liderazgo Hispano (CHLI), aumentará el número de estudiantes hispanos que patrocina anualmente a través de su Programa de Líderes Globales.