- Interning with Representatives

Hermon Raju, left, interns with Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY), who is the co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans. Rep Crowley hosted Anuja Raval in ’02 and Madhuri Singh in ’03.

Hermon Raju will be a junior this fall at New York University (NYU), where she is currently pursuing a major in International Politics with a minor concentration in History. She lives with her parents Baldev and Manjit Raju in Garrison, New York. She will be an int-ern in the office of Congressman Joe Crowley (D-NY), the co-chair of Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans.

The past semester, Hermon finished a term abroad at La Peitra, the Florence extension of NYU. While at NYU, she involves herself in various events with the NYU chapters of the United Sikh Association and the Hindu Student Council. During the past academic school year, she volunteered with AIDS patients and has been involved in a peer mentoring program, known as the University President’s C-Team. In her spare time, Hermon is a member of NYU’s Equestrian team and has participated in the campus choir program. She hopes to continue her involvement in the community throughout the remainder of her academic career and is looking forward to her internship with Congressman Crowley’s office.

JIMMY SONI

Jimmy Soni, left, interns with Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), who is the co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans. Rep. Pallone has hosted Amy Parekh in ’97, Ankur Doshi ’98, Prashansa Sai ’99, Uma Seshamani ’00, Shaun Panse ’01, Naresh Tanna ’02, and Sanchay Krishna in ’03.

Jimmy Soni, son of Bhupendra and Aruna Soni, hails from Westmont, Illinois. He is a rising sophomore at Duke University. Jimmy will intern for co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ).

Jimmy is currently vice chair of the Duke Honor Council. In this capacity, he has organized numerous events for the council including panels on information policy and sexual assault. His interest in the application of ethics to academic life allowed him to become a lead editor for Ethos, Duke’s undergraduate journal of ethics. He also serves as treasurer for his parliamentary debate team and as vice president of communications for his fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon. His passion for community service resulted in volunteer work at a local community center with Durham children. Jimmy is also interested in classical studies, economics, and public policy. Upon finishing undergraduate studies at Duke, he hopes to attend law school or participate in the Teach for America program. Jimmy aspires to become a Senator from Illinois, and hopes that a summer working in Congress will help him to pursue this dream.

NEELA PAL

Neela Pal, left, interns with Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY). Rep. Ackerman hosted Aparna Mohan in ’95, Neha Sampat ’96, Rahul Shah ’97, Oeindrila Dube ’98, Sumanth Bollepalli ’99, Bharath Parthasarthy ’00, Rekha Tadoori ’01, Ambika Kapoor ’02, and Bindi Bhagat ’03.

Neela (Anindita) Pal lives with her parents, Kamalakshi and Ranajit in Maryland. She is a rising third-year student at the University of Virginia (UVA), where she is majoring in English and most probably Politics. Neela will intern with Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-NY), who is a former co-chairman of Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans.

At UVA, Neela is a vice chair and moderator for Sustained Dialogue, an organization that promotes race relations through yearlong small-group dialogues led by trained student moderators.

Neela will be president of the South Asian Leadership Society in the fall. A senior writer for UVA’s newspaper, the Cavalier Daily, Neela loves writing feature articles regularly on different aspects of student life. She also enjoys volunteering for a Migrant Aid tutoring program at UVA. Neela’s hobbies include writing, kickboxing and karate, and the classical Indian dance style Odissi, which she has been training in for most of her life.

SHEKAR KRISHNAN

Shekar Krishnan, left, interns with Rep. Elliot Engel (D-NY). Rep. Engel hosted Deepa Rajkarne in ’97, Sumathi Subbaiah ’98, Aaron Chatterji ’99, and Simone Jhingoor in ’01.

Shekar Krishnan is a rising junior at the Cooper Union in New York City, where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. Shekar was raised in Suffern, New York, and graduated from Suffern High School in 2002. He will be an intern with Congressman Elliot Engel (D-NY). Aside from academic work in college, Shekar devotes much of his time to extracurricular activities. He is the administrative co-chairman of the Engineering Student Council and a Cooper Union Student Ambassador, serving as the student liaison to the alumni and administration. He volunteers for the America Reads Program, teaching elementary schoolchildren in Harlem.

Shekar spent his sophomore year interning for Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) in New York and assisted with constituent issues. On Capitol Hill, Shekar hopes to obtain a first-hand glimpse of the intricacies of our nation’s political process and how legislators aid constituents on a federal and local level. He plans on attending law school and ultimately pursuing a career in public policy.

SHAYAK SARKAR

Shayak Sarkar, left, interns with Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ). Rep. Payne hosted Dean Krishna in ’98.

Shayak Sarkar of San Diego, California, is the son of Kamal and Jhuma Sarkar. He is a rising sophomore at Harvard University in Boston, where he plans to concentrate in applied mathematics. Shayak will be an intern for Congressman Donald Payne (D-NJ) this summer.

Shayak is an active participant in various service organizations at Harvard, as well as a volunteer at the local homeless shelter. He also teaches youth how to play the piano, tutors prisoners in inner city Boston, and serves as an academic tutor for Cambridge students.

Additionally, Shayak is a news writer for the Harvard Crimson newspaper. This summer, Shayak hopes to gain a greater appreciation of the political process by examining its connection with social justice and equity issues. He hopes to attend law school after completing his degree at Harvard University.