Help Support the NIU Congressional Internship Program!

Since the summer of 2009, NIU more than 50 students have participated in our D.C. Summer Congressional Internship Program. For many, this was a life-changing experience which altered their career trajectories. Several students have remained in D.C. after graduation, and all have found the program to be rewarding and educational.

Students are selected through a competitive process and receive a stipend to help them offset the costs of an internship in the nation’s capital. The challenge the University faces today is that the funds dedicated for the program are tenuous. Without private support, the ability of the D.C. Summer Congressional Internship Program to continue is in question. This is where you can help.   

With your generosity, the program can become financially viable and future classes of Huskies will be able to benefit from such a valuable educational experience.

The 15th group of congressional interns will travel to Washington, D.C. this summer and learn alongside some of our nation's leaders. This highly competitive program provides students with the opportunity to live, learn and work in the heart of our nation's capital. Four students will intern on the Hill for a member of the Illinois congressional delegation. 

Interns receive scholarships to cover the cost of housing and some living expenses over the summer. This year, we are looking to raise $7,000 to help sponsor one of our intern's expenses. 

"Having the opportunity to participate in the NIU D.C. Summer Congressional Internship Program quite literally changed the course of my life. As someone who had to work 2-3 jobs while in school (and on the NIU Dance Team) to stay afloat, taking an unpaid position 2,000 miles away was not an option financially.

Because of NIU’s Congressional internship program, I was able to spend an enriching summer interning for Congress, diving headfirst into professional life without needing to worry about housing or other financial matters. With that experience under my belt, I was able to launch my career—a lot of which is still predicated on my
experience as a Congressional intern. 

Five years later, I am unbelievably grateful to have had an experience I know so many students could only dream of." 
Lark Lewis, '17. Internship Placement: Congresswoman Robin Kelly Current Position: Senior Manager of Creative & Digital Strategies at the National Women’s Law Center.

"The D.C. Summer Congressional Internship Program effectively launched my career into the federal government. Interning on the Hill provided invaluable networking opportunities in D.C., practical public policy experience, and ultimately solidified my career goals. Even several years after the program, the Office of Congresswoman Robin Kelly provided countless letters of recommendation for national scholarships, law school and for my current position in the Navy’s Judge Advocate General Corps." 
Rachel Jacob, '18. Internship Placement: Congresswoman Robin Kelly. Current Position: Judge Advocate, United States Navy.  

"NIU’s D.C. Summer Congressional Internship Program allowed me to supplement the knowledge I gained during my undergraduate education and grow as an individual and student. It opened a world of opportunities. Without that experience, I know I would not be where I am today." 
Gary Timmins, '12. Internship Placement: Congressman Mike Quigley. Current Position: Foreign Affairs Officer, Department of State.