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The White House Initiative’s Year-round Internship Program provides current students with an opportunity to learn about African American-focused education policy, communications, and outreach at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Collecting and compiling research and data on African American education, institutions and communities;
• Performing data entry and managing the office database;
• Greeting and escorting visitors to meetings;
• Participating in strategic planning and staff meetings and other Department policy briefings and meetings relevant to the work of the Initiative;
• Responding to constituent inquiries verbally or in writing;
• Assisting and creating and/or updating presentations, fact sheets, one-pagers or talking points;
• Assisting with all planning and implementation needs for upcoming local events and meetings, which can include collecting/researching background materials, creating promotional materials, cold-calling Listserv members, cataloging attendees;
• Maintaining office media archives, which includes searching for any media coverage related to Initiative events and speaking engagements;
• Liaising between the Initiative and local and national African American organizations and federal agencies;
• Contributing to the creative efforts of the Initiative; and
• Providing social media and blog updates to the accounts as needed.

In addition, opportunities for developmental growth are encouraged, such as interviewing senior Department officials and officials from external organizations, and attending internal/external presentations and briefings related to African American education. Duties also will vary slightly for students pursuing terminal degrees such as Ph.D. or Ed.D. candidates.

Throughout the course of their internship, students will have the opportunity to attend and potentially lead in the planning and management of meetings, briefings and other special events on the Hill, at the White House and in other federal agencies.

Skills needed:

• Able to work well independently and as part of a team
• Able to organize and prioritize work
• Carries fair share of the workload and completes projects on time
• Excellent research skills
• Excellent oral, written, and editing communication skills
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access)
• Takes initiative and proactively tackles responsibilities
• Arrives promptly to work and to all meetings

How to Apply:

Application information can be found at: https://sites.ed.gov/whieeaa/internship-opportunities/

You must be a U.S. citizen or have a resident visa to apply. You also must be enrolled part- or full-time in an accredited postsecondary institution.  Interns must be available to be in the office at least three full days per week at our DC site.

Incomplete application packets will be immediately disqualified from consideration. Please also proofread your materials before submission.

Summer 2018 Internship Applications are due March 15, 2018. We are not accepting FALL 2018 applications at this time.

Thanks in advance for your consideration.