White House Initiative’s Year-round Internship Program

Internship Opportunities

APPLICATIONS FOR SUMMER 2014 WILL BE ACCEPTED FEBRUARY 3 - MARCH 15, 2014

The White House Initiative’s Year-round Internship Program provides current undergraduate and graduate 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;
• Managing the email box for the Initiative
• 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;
• Providing Twitter and blog updates to the accounts as needed; and
• Updating the Initiative’s website.

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 graduate students, particularly Ph.D. or Ed.D. candidates.
Throughout the course of their internships, 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
• Prior experience with WordPress application administration, HTML coding, and graphics software (such as Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator).

How to Apply
Please provide ALL of the following materials with your application:
1. Cover Letter
2. Resume
3. An unnofficial transcript (Official only upon request)
4. Internship application
5. Volunteer Service Agreement Updated
6.New I-9 form
7. OF 306
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.
Incomplete application packets will be immediately disqualified from consideration. Please also proofread your materials before submission.
Packets should submitted via e-mail to AfAmEducation@ed.gov with 2014 Summer Internship in the subject line.  We are not accepting FALL 2014 applications at this time.
Application Packet Review Process
The White House Initiative evaluates the applications on the basis of academic achievement, quality of thought exemplified in the cover letter, and the strength of the candidate’s interest in improving education outcomes for African Americans. Additionally, only completed application packets are evaluated.
Selected packets are then forwarded to designated personnel in the Office of the Secretary and Human Resources, who review the application packets for legal, regulatory and program requirements.
Once vetted by OS and HRS, students are contacted by the White House Initiative to confirm start dates.
An internship welcome packet will be e-mailed to accepted interns.

Other Considerations

This is an unpaid internship. Students selected to be White House Initiative interns will be required to secure their own housing while in Washington, D.C. A list of potential accommodations is made available on request.
In addition, the U.S. Department now is able to provide a transportation subsidy to assist with the cost of travel to and from home/work. Students may register for this benefit once they are officially on board with the agency.