FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 6, 2008
HACU media contact:
Norma Jean Revilla-García
210.576.3206 
njgarcia@hacu.net

College students find out they can earn while they learn

San Antonio, TX - Back -to-School for Jay Garcia means he’s returning to college with some cash in his pocket and practical experience in business-marketing thanks to a corporate internship at the Healthcare division of Sodexo in Portage, Michigan. Garcia, a student at Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi, was among  more than 400 students selected to participate in the HACU National Internship Program (HNIP) this summer.

Through the paid internship, he also had an opportunity to learn about various facets of the business and visited Detroit, Chicago, and Washington, D.C, on work-related travel. Although the internship lasted less than three months, the experience was invaluable and will help to build his résumé and reach his long-term goals.    

“Everything I have accomplished in such a short period of time has not only equipped me with the knowledge needed for my future endeavors, but has also allowed me to properly set the next steps of my academic and career goals,” says Garcia.   

Some interns are fortunate to receive offers of employment upon completion of their assignment, or upon graduation. Carolina Palacios was attending Nova Southeastern University when she received a job offer from the National Archives and Records Administration after completing an internship with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (fall 2007) and with the Office of Personnel Management (spring 2008); Javier Araujo, was attending the University of Texas at Brownsville when he received a job offer from the EPA after interning there during the summer and fall of 2007;  and Lucia Canarte, who attended Long Island University, received a job offer from the Veterans Administration after she served an internship during summer 2007. All of these individuals accepted the offers and are currently employed with the government.

“The HACU National Internship Program is win-win for all; it’s a leadership-building opportunity where college students gain professional experience that serve to better position them prior to graduation, and it also creates a pipeline of future employees for the corporate and federal sectors,” says Antonio Flores, president of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).

HNIP, the largest Hispanic internship program in the country, has had more than 7,500 participants since it’s inception in 1992.  Students intern at federal and corporate sites for a duration of ten or fifteen weeks and receive a stipend. HACU assists with paid round-trip airfare, housing arrangements, and emergency medical insurance. HNIP has been recognized as a “best practice” in the recruitment of Hispanics into the federal government. 

Upcoming Application Deadlines 

HNIP Applications are accepted in the fall, spring and summer at www.hnip.net. Oct. 3, 2008, is the early application deadline to be considered for a summer 2009 (June 5 – Aug. 15) federal internship that requires a security clearance (e.g., U.S. Department of State, Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Reserve Bank, and some agencies within U.S. Department of Defense) and for selected corporate  internships that may require an extensive interview process.  

Regular application deadlines are as follows:  Nov. 7, 2008 for spring 2009 (Jan. 15 – May 2); Feb. 27, 2009 for summer 2009; and June 19, 2009 for fall 2009 (Aug. 27 – Dec. 12). To accommodate students who attend institutions that operate on a quarter calendar basis, a later start date is available for the summer session. The program dates are June 22-August 29. Application deadlines remain the same. Only students that attend quarter schools may participate during this later program session.  

About HACU

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) was established in 1986 with a founding membership of 18 institutions. Today, HACU represents approximately 450 colleges and universities committed to Hispanic higher education success in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Latin America, Spain and Portugal. HACU is the only national association that represents Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Recently, HACU was named one of the nation’s top Hispanic non-profits by Hispanic Business magazine. HACU is committed to assuring higher education access and success for Hispanic students. For more information visit www.hacu.net

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