Students Earn a Stipend and Academic Credit While Gaining Experience and Leadership Skills
Stanislaus State student Brenda Espitia-Martinez has big plans for her future.
Born and raised in Modesto, the political science major will be the first in her family to graduate from college next year. Afterward, she plans to attend law school with a goal of becoming an immigration lawyer.
But she doesn’t plan to pull up stakes and move to some far-off destination to launch her career. She intends to remain firmly rooted in the Central Valley so she can continue to serve to her community.
She’s already gaining hands-on experience in the day-to-day operations of government and the political process thanks to The Maddy Institute’s Legislative Intern Scholar Program. Espitia-Martinez is one of the program’s fall 2020 participants and is completing a fall internship in the office of Congressman Josh Harder.
The program is looking for its next group of student interns for its 2021 spring and summer programs. Students selected as scholar-interns are placed on assignment in local legislative and government offices throughout the Central Valley, as well as in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. With current COVID-19 restrictions, some offices are offering remote internships.
Students accepted into the local fall, spring or summer program receive a $1,950 scholarship. The Sacramento and Washington, D.C., summer programs offer scholarships between $4,500 and $6,000. In addition to the scholarship, interns receive academic credit, and the program is open to all majors.
Students are required to devote 150 hours over the course of the semester, serving three to five hours per shift, 10 hours per week. Applicants must have junior standing (60 completed units) or be a graduate student and have a minimum overall 3.0 GPA.
Applications are available on The Maddy Institute website where students can apply online or download the application form. The deadline to submit applications for spring and summer 2021 internships is Nov. 6, 2020. All applications must be postmarked, delivered, emailed or faxed by 5 p.m.
The Maddy Institute is a public policy institute established in Fresno in honor of the late State Senator Ken Maddy. In 2019, The Maddy Institute became the public policy institute for Stan State, Fresno State, CSU Bakersfield and the University of California, Merced.
Questions about the program? Contact Program Coordinator Amy Boam.