NEW YORK & WASHINGTON - The Indian American Center for Political Awareness (IACPA) has launched the Washington Leadership Program's (WLP) application form for the summer of 2003, which can be accessed on IACPA's website, directly from the homepage, at www.. The application is titled for "WLP2003."

All undergraduate students, who are either US citizens or legal permanent residents, interested in interning in the nation's capitol this coming summer, are encouraged to apply. The WLP program lasts eight weeks, beginning June 16, 2003 and continuing through August 8, 2003. Students do not need to be a political science major to apply.

The program isto undergraduate students, who have at least one year of their undergraduate career completed before June 2003. Students graduating in the spring of 2003 may also apply to this program. The application deadline is February 14, 2003, and all applications must be completed and postmarked by this date.

WLP began with one student during the spring of 1994; in 1995, four students completed the program, during a ten-week run in the summer, and by 1996 the program expanded to allow 16 students to participate in what has become one of the largest internship opportunities on Capitol Hill for Asian Americans.

IACPA is looking for 16 enthusiastic, motivated students for the summer of 2003. This internship program is regarded as one of the most competitive of its kind.

Prerna Srivastava, a junior at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania and an intern in the WLP 2002 program, said the program was a motivating and enlightening experience. "The people I have met this summer, the experiences I have had, the connections I have made, not only with others, but with myself as well, have further cemented my political identity as an Indian American… "she said.

Harin Contractor, a junior at the University of Georgia, who was also a WLP intern this past summer, believes WLP's location and network make it stand apart from other internships. "It is the best way for concerned Indian Americans to learn how we can influence legislation that is important to us…WLP is a unique and useful experience for any young Indian American regardless of their future plans."