Summer Fellowship for Hispanic Undergraduates

Are you currently an undergraduate college student? 

Apply to CHCI's Summer Congressional Internship 

All program participants will receive an eight-week work experience on Capitol Hill and these great benefits:

• Stipend of $2,500 for the eight weeks in D.C.
• Free roundtrip travel to Washington, D.C.
• Monthly Metro transit stipends
• Housing (all expenses paid by CHCI)
• Leadership development

This unmatched experience to learn first-hand about our nation’s legislative processes is available for college undergraduates enrolled full time in an academic institution.  Students of ALL majors that have an interest in the development of public policy and who have demonstrated leadership abilities should apply.

To learn more about the program, eligibility requirements, and how to possibly get credit for the internship, visit http://www.chci.org/internships/.

The CHCI Staff is here to assist you with your application, so contact us at CHCIapplications@chci.org or 1-800-EXCEL-DC with any questions.  You can apply to more than one of CHCI’s amazing programs at the same time.

*Current college seniors graduating in May 2012 are ineligible to apply; however they are eligible to apply for CHCI's Public Policy Fellowship program.  The application deadline for the Public Policy Fellowship is February 17, 2012.  Check the CHCI website for complete eligibility requirements and deadlines.

Arkh: A Genderqueer/Minority Focused Videogame

There are some wonderful people doing a great thing right now. They are working on a genderqueer/minority focused video game completely off the beaten path. If you are tired of minorities always being anything but secondary characters, and queer relationships being mocked and made fun of, this game will change all that. If you would like to learn more about what they are working on, please click here: http://thearkhproject.tumblr.com/

Also, feel free to chip in and help them reach their goals!

Cancun, Mexico

As a Spanish speaker I had a very interesting five days in Cancun. The things that people said under their breath in Spanish sometimes made me laugh while other times it just made me smirk. In the end, whether you speak Spanish or not, tourism is their livelihood and they will do their best to get those dolares out of you. Yet, the best part of it all, I would say is what I came for: fresh grouper fish, white sand and warm weather :)

Henry and I stayed at the Club Internacional de Cancun which is part of the Royal hotel chain. It was very spacious and quiet which we really appreciated. We went to the Hotel Zone but really didn't like it. It had a fake feeling, what with Starbucks and Versace stores being there. All these name brand stores and overpriced items...Some people may like that, but I for one don't. Therefore, we took the public bus everywhere to save money and to have a more real experience.


The buses are nice, clean and they run very often. If you are traveling on a budget I would recommend it (it costs less than a dollar per person) as it is not too difficult and there is only one main street if you stay in the areas where all the hotel chains are. However, if you know some Spanish, I would say to venture out into the city of Cancun where the real action is.

We got lost while trying to get to Plaza las Americas, the shopping center of the people of the city of Cancun. It was great because although we went in the opposite direction of where we wanted to go, we got to see how people interact with each other and how they live their lives. We knew we were somewhere completely different when a taco was one peso (where we were staying three tacos are 50 pesos) and the houses started to look a bit more worn down.

We also went on a catamaran party cruise sort of thing to Isla Mujeres and that was fun. People went snorkeling, although I personally didn't feel comfortable enough to do that. The snorkeling instructor toward the end also had everyone on the ship do tequila shots while he was dressed in very stereotypical Mexican garb. He was a hoot! Lastly, we went to the Royal Sands to their spa in order to end our vacation on a relaxing note. One word: Awesome. Well worth the money to do as the spa is affiliated but is not part of the hotel. The Sands also had a HUGE majestic pool that was quite a sight to behold.