The Washington Leadership Program

Now Accepting Applicants for the 2012 Washington Leadership Program

The Washington Leadership Program (WLP) is pleased to announce that it is accepting applications from high-potential South Asian college students for the 2012 summer leadership program scheduled to take place from June 9, 2012 to August 3, 2012. The WLP cultivates the South Asian American community's next generation of leaders by placing them in Congressional offices or Government Agencies for eight-week summer internships and a structured leadership-training curriculum.  The students gain a firsthand view of the policy-making and legislative process, as well as gain access to high-profile South-Asian leaders in the nation's capitol. Applications are available online at http://www.thewlp.com/wlp-2012-application.html. The deadline for submitting applications is January 20, 2012.

All students who are either US citizens or legal permanent residents are encouraged to apply. Selection to the WLP is highly competitive and not limited to students pursuing majors in social sciences. The backgrounds of past participants have ranged from medical school to art and business.

Interns will receive a total stipend of $1,500 and will be required to complete 2-3 short writing assignments during the internship.

The WLP has over 180 alumni who have interned for notable elected officials including Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN), and Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-LA). Alumni from the program have gone on to win Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright, and Mitchell Scholarships, as well as acceptances into top-flight medical, law, public policy, and other post-graduate programs. Several alums are currently senior advisors to government officials, and one is an elected representative from the State of Maryland. 

The original program built  a strong reputation on both the Hill and in the community and continues to receive favorable reviews from former participants.  Former House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt (D-MO) called the WLP "the best program of its kind on the Hill."  The program has continued to receive generous support from alumni, the community-at-large, and community organizations and corporations. 

For more information about the program, visit the WLP's website at www.thewlp.com

WLP Holiday E-Fundraising Drive

The WLP Announces its Annual Holiday E-Fundraising Drive

The holidays are a time for sharing joy with others. In that light, the WLP would like you to spread some holiday cheer to the next generation of leaders in our community. The WLP runs a rigorous selection process and a substantive and extensive program for the Scholars that are selected for the summer program, but none of this can happen without your support.

Donation Levels: 

$50 - Friend of the Program

$150 - Supporter of the WLP - Sponsors of one speaker event

$250 - Mentor of the Scholars - Supports one day of leadership building activities

$500 - Sponsor of the Program - Helps fund a Scholarship for a student

$2,000 - Board of Governors - Fully funds Scholarship for the Program

www.thewlp.com/donate.html

Investing in a scholar will yield a major benefit for the community in the future.

Just in this past year, WLP Alums were elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, named Chief of Staff for the Huffington Post, starred in a major motion picture in India, and named to the Council of Economic Advisors to President Obama.

To learn more about The WLP visit: www.thewlp.com/the-wlp-program.html or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheWLP

All donations are tax deductible - http://www.thewlp.com/donate.html

WLP Speaker Series: Summer 2011

We are pleased to announce the summer speaker series for 2011. Each speaker series includes a panel of distinguished guests and interactive discussions. All events will take place at the Human Rights Campaign (1640 Rhode Island Ave. N.W.).

• Tuesday, June 28 - 7:00 - 9:00 PM
  WLP Speaker Series: Economic Policy
• Tuesday, July 12 - 7:00 - 9:00 PM
  WLP Speaker Series: 2012 Election Preview
• Tuesday, July 26 - 7:00 - 9:00 PM
  WLP Speaker Series: Foreign Policy
• Tuesday, August 2 - 7:00 - 9:00 PM
  WLP Speaker Series: Public Sector Problems and Private Sector Solutions

This event is free and open to the public, however, seating is limited. Please RSVP to wlp@thewlp.com.

The Washington Leadership Program, established in 1995, is a national non-profit organization committed to developing the next generation of South Asian American leaders.

Introducing the WLP Class of 2011

Mohit Bangia is  a junior at University of Houston double majoring in Political Science and Chinese.  Mohit also has been interning at the Mayor’s Office of International Trade and Development for the City of Houston over the past year.  Mohit was born in New Delhi and moved to Houston at the age of 10.  He quickly developed an affinity for politics and the law field.  He  helped form his debate team in high school and led it for many years.  Through debate, Mohit  realized his passion for law and discourse.  More importantly, with his exposure to many different international realms, he came to realize international affairs were his true calling.  Mohit is an avid sports fan who follows many sports and is a diehard Houston fan.

 Fayzan Gowani is currently a senior at the University of California, Berkeley studying Cognitive Science with a focus on cross-cultural studies.   She grew up in a politically charged and socially conscious household, which led her to be intrigued by travel and world affairs at an early age.  Fayzan’s interest in political and international affairs was furthered from volunteering in  
 Bagamoyo, Tanzania, during the summer of 2009 as a teacher for primary school students, where she became interested in education policy and primary education in developing nations.   In Berkeley, Fayzan is heavily involved in the people of color, and women's and youth empowerment spaces in which she has found homes away from home.   In her free time, she enjoys exploring and photographing San Francisco, taking impromptu naps on grassy glades, and staying up to date on the protests happening in the Bay Area.

 

Simon Krishnan recently graduated from Indiana University Bloomington with majors in Religious Studies and Near Eastern Languages and Cultures (Arabic track), and minors in Gender Studies, Spanish, and Computer Science.  While at IU, he worked variously as a research assistant and teaching assistant, and was a core member of the Undergraduate Religious Studies Association.  This past year, he completed an award-winning senior honors thesis entitled "Be Like Others: Western Media Representations of Transsexuality in Iran." Simon is interested in queer/trans activism, and enjoys reading fiction and writing poetry and creative nonfiction in his (limited) spare time.

 

Tanu Kumar is a junior at Bowdoin College.  She is currently majoring in Government, with a minor in Economics.  Along with being a distance runner for Bowdoin, she works at the school's writing center and is the president of a College House.  She is particularly interested in include Energy and Environmental Policy.  She attends college in Maine, but has lived in Maryland since she was two.

 

 

Rajiv Tarigopula is a rising sophomore at Harvard University.   He was born and grew up in Chesterfield, Missouri, and has loved history, government, and American politics for as long as he can remember.   At Harvard, he is pursuing a degree in government with a minor in economics, and hopes to attend law and business school after college with an eye on a career in public service.   Washington, D.C.  is Rajiv's favorite city, and U.S.  domestic public policy is his favorite area of interest within the political world.   To this end, he writes as a domestic electoral politics columnist for the Harvard Political Review on campus.   In his spare time, he loves playing soccer, tennis, and chess, as well as watching movies and reading.

 

Ashwin Warrior is a junior at Seattle University double majoring in history and economics.  On campus, he serves as a consultant in his university’s writing center, as a representative on the student executive council, and as co-president and founder of Seattle University Students for South Asia.  In the past, he has served as the student leader for an annual demonstration at the gates of Fort Benning protesting U.S.  military involvement in Latin America.  In the Seattle community, he volunteers as a youth mentor at the King County juvenile detention center and as a coach with the non-profit, Street Soccer Seattle.  In his spare time he enjoys playing and watching soccer, as well as reading and writing poetry.  He is originally from the California Bay Area. 

Fundraising Event: Honoring South Asian Leaders

NetIP-Chicago, IABA, SAFO, and WLP invite you to a reception: 
Honoring South Asian Leaders
 
to benefit the WLP Summer Fellowship Program
                                              
Guest Speakers:
Chicago City Alderman - Ameya Pawar
Ohio State Representative – Jay Goyal
Maryland State Representative - Sam Arora
Former Deputy State Treasurer - Raja Krishnamoorthi
 
Friday, April 15th - 7 PM
 Timothy O'Toole's Pub
622 North Fairbanks Court
                 Chicago, IL 60611                      

Join us as we meet and honor the next generation of South Asian leaders from across the U.S.
Ameya Pawar, Jay Goyal, and Sam Arora have yet to cross their 30th birthdays but have already made history as the youngest South Asians elected to public office.

 
HOST COMMITTEE (still in formation):

Prashanthi Rao Raman, Kant Desai, James Pappachen, Ashvin Lad, AnitaBanerji, Ashwin Janakiram, Radha Patel, Renu Shah, Harin Contractor, Alex Johnson, and Roopa Modur

Donor Levels: Student/NetIP Members - $35 * Friend - $50 * Supporter - $100 *
Mentor - $250 * Sponsor - $500
 
All proceeds will go to the Washington Leadership Program to support South-Asian interns on Capitol Hill for Summer 2011.

Please RSVP to wlp@thewlp.com.
Online contributions can be made at http://www.thewlp.com/donate.html.

 
What is the Washington Leadership Program?
 The Washington Leadership Program (WLP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to engaging South Asian Americans to the political process.  Through its fellowship program, the WLP places students in the Washington offices of Members of Congress each summer and provides intensive leadership training workshops.  Initially founded by Gopal Raju in 1994, the WLP has placed over 170 fellows.  Learn more about us at www.thewlp.com.

The Washington Leadership Program is a registered nonprofit organization incorporated in New Jersey. At present the organization is in process of filing for tax-exemption with the Internal Revenue Service. The organization reasonably expects to receive certification as a tax-exempt organization. Should the organization fail to receive tax-exemption, the WLP will notify you immediately and provide refunds if you should so choose.

WLP Experience: "The revere this program has earned in addition to the relationships that it has forged in its many years are obvious"

By Monica Patel, Intern for the Committee on Small Business            

            It didn’t take me long to recognize what a great privilege it is to be a WLP Scholar.   After meeting my fellow “classmates”, we were introduced to many individuals who have paved a path for young Indian Americans in politics.  From Rina Shah, who has worked her way up in her member’s office, to Shripal Shah, press secretary for the Democratic Congress Campaign Committee and Anil Moman, founder of The Mammen Group, we really met the best in D.C..  Not only did we get inside knowledge on how to excel in a town of politicos, we were taught that it all starts at the bottom, and how to prove ourselves in our respective offices.
            I was placed in the Committee on Small Business, chaired by the Honorable Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, and I quickly learned that everything I’d heard was true.  Once I had earned the trust of staffers, I was given research assignments regarding healthcare policy and housing/urban development -- two things that (I understand I run the risk of sounding dorky here) truly make my heart race with excitement.  Smaller responsibilities led to more challenging tasks such as writing research papers and attending meetings.  Then came the THE task, the task that made me realize why I’d chosen to come to D.C. as opposed to New York or Chicago.  I was given an assignment to write about a specific portion of the Healthcare Bill entitled the CLASS Act and its impact on Hispanic Americans and small business owners.  Initially the task seemed daunting.   However, after a lot of guidance from my WLP coordinators and a tremendous amount of help from the Healthcare Counsel in our office, I produced something I was truly proud of and happy to submit. 
            The Washington Leadership Program not only provided me with the basic knowledge necessary to make a good impression on a congressional office, but also empowered me to utilize all of the connections that the program had helped me create.  The assistance that I received didn’t end at orientation or even the weekly speaker series that helped us learn a great deal about D.C. and the politicos who have made their mark there.  The revere this program has earned in addition to the relationships that it has forged in its many years are obvious when speaking with South Asians across D.C. This became especially evident when all of the WLP interns were invited to volunteer at the Indian American Leadership Initiative Conference.  Merely being a part of this group presented us with the opportunity to brush shoulders with political hopefuls such as Ravi Sanghashetti and Manan Trivedi, as well as the opportunity to get to know many individuals who have already made a name for themselves in D.C. The amount that I learned and the people that I met, in addition to all of the fun that I had throughout the summer not only made an impact on my summer, but my college career; and I cannot wait to come back and help WLP scholars in the future make their mark on D.C.

Now Accepting Applicants for the 2011 Washington Leadership Program

The Washington Leadership Program (WLP) is pleased to announce that it is accepting applications from high-potential South Asian college students for the 2011 summer leadership program scheduled to take place from June 13, 2011 to August 5, 2011. The WLP cultivates the South Asian American community's next generation of leaders by placing them in Congressional offices or Government Agencies for eight-week summer internships and a structured leadership-training curriculum.  The students gain a firsthand view of the policy-making and legislative process, as well as gain access to high-profile South-Asian leaders in the nation's capitol. Applications are available online at www.thewlp.com. The deadline for submitting applications is February 1, 2011.

All students who are either US citizens or legal permanent residents are encouraged to apply. Selection to the WLP is highly competitive and not limited to students pursuing majors in social sciences. The backgrounds of past participants have ranged from medical school to art and business.

Interns will receive a total stipend of $1,500 and will be required to complete 2-3 short writing assignments during the internship.

The WLP has over 180 alumni who have interned for notable elected officials including Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN), and Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-LA). Alumni from the program have gone on to win Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright, and Mitchell Scholarships, as well as acceptances into top-flight medical, law, public policy, and other post-graduate programs. Several alums are currently senior advisors to government officials, and one is an elected representative from the State of Maryland. 

The original program built  a strong reputation on both the Hill and in the community and continues to receive favorable reviews from former participants.  Former House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt (D-MO) called the WLP "the best program of its kind on the Hill."  The 2010 program received generous support from alumni, the community-at-large, and community organizations and corporations such as the Asian American Hotel Owners' Association and Landis-Gyr. 

For more information about the program, visit the WLP's website at www.thewlp.com