AAPD Announces
2004 Summer Congressional Interns
February 17, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mariana V. Nork
202-457-0046
Ten College Students with Disabilities to Work in Congressional Offices
Washington, DC, The American Association of
People with Disabilities (AAPD), the nation's largest cross-disability membership
organization, announces that ten students have been selected to participate
in the 2004 AAPD Congressional Internship Program. This program made possible
by grants from Independence Technology, a Johnson&Johnson company, and
the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, the program's founding sponsor.
The AAPD Congressional Internship Program, an eight-week paid
summer internship program that was launched in 2002, was designed to provide
college and university students with disabilities the opportunity to obtain
first-hand knowledge of the legislative and political process, and a unique
learning experience that enriches their educational endeavors and enhances
their future career opportunities. Each summer, thousands of students come
to Washington for sought-after Congressional internships, but the AAPD Congressional
Internship Program is one of the few programs offering students with disabilities
an opportunity to serve.
"We are proud and honored to again partner with Independence
Technology and the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation this year, to grow
this important program and to create a unique and valuable opportunity for
ten college students with disabilities," says Andrew J. Imparato, AAPD's
President and CEO. "Working on the Hill is a great way for students to
learn how policy is made, but also a great way for them to bring their unique
perspectives to the development of laws that will directly affect and impact
their futures."
In 2004, internships are being awarded to the following ten
students from across the country, who have been selected on the basis of a
written application and personal interviews.
George Dylan Brown of Hendersonville, Tennessee, attends Middle
Tennessee State University where he is majoring in Political Science. Dylan
is active in community service, with volunteer roles that have included serving
as a Sunday school class teacher, a Youth Counselor at the First United Methodist
Church in Hendersonville, and a Peer Consultant for newly-injured spinal cord
patients at Centennial Medical Center and Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation
Hospital. Dylan is also active with the Tennessee Partners in Policy Making,
which, he explains, expanded his knowledge of the many disabilities that exist
in our society. Upon graduation in May 2006, Dylan looks forward to a career
of public service within our country's political system.
Olivia Mary Norman of Takoma Park, Maryland,
is a Sociology major at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, having received
scholarships from the University for Academic Excellence.
Olivia testified before the Montgomery County (Maryland) Council
and Board of Education, which resulted in an allocation of more than $2 million
for special education initiatives. This spring, she will intern in the Morristown
Hospital emergency room, assisting physicians with clinical research and basic
aspects of patient care. Olivia is also an active community volunteer, a member
of the Mentors at Drew Project and The Pre Health Professions Society, and
is actively involved in several campus activities. She will graduate in May 2005.
Stacey Leigh Cervenka of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is majoring
in French and Italian Studies and minoring in American Studies and Theatre
at the University of Minnesota. After graduating in May 2005, she plans to
do mission work prior to pursuing a Masters Degree in Sociology and her long-term
career goal of public policy work. Stacey has worked as an Outreach Coordinator
for the Disabled Student Cultural Center in Minneapolis, been a board member
of the National Association of Blind Students and First Vice President of
the Minnesota Association of Blind Students, and volunteered for the National
Federation of the Blind of North Dakota. She has also taught English as a
second language to Bosnian and Somolian refugees and organized youth events
in Minnesota and North Dakota.
Clark Vayne Davidson of Onalaska, Wisconsin, currently attends
Viterbo University in La Crosse, where he is majoring in Political Science
and minoring in Women Studies. He previously attended Winona State University,
where he received academic honors in the National Golden Key Honor Society
and in Pi Sigma Alpha, a political science honor society. Clark ran for Mayor
of La Crescent, Minnesota in 2002 and received nine percent of the votes after
campaigning for just one month. Clark will graduate in May 2006 and then pursue
a career in social work in order to empower consumers of social services.
Kelley Duran of North Fayston, Vermont, is a student at Smith
College in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she has received numerous awards,
including the Smith College Junior Athlete of the Year in 2003. She will graduate
in May 2004. In 2003, she attended the World Deaf Winter Games in Sundsvall,
Sweden, earning a Silver medal in the Giant Slalomand a Bronze medal in the
Slalom, and was subsequently selected to represent the USA at the World Federation
of the Deaf Youth Conference. Kelley has worked with Deaf children as a volunteer,
using sign language as a one-on-one educator, camp counselor and teacher's
aid, and served as a theater intern at Gallaudet University's Deaf Way II.
Leanne Handelsman of Scarsdale, New York, is a Psychology major
at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie and also pursuing Elementary Education certification.
She will graduate in May 2005. Diagnosed with Tourett's Syndrome as a freshman
in high school empowered Leanne to self-advocate in her school and in her
community and to work for disability rights and education. An active community
service volunteer, she has also interned and worked with regular education,
special education, integrated nursery and elementary school classrooms. Leanne
served as a nanny for six children, five of whom were children with a variety
of disabilities, which she explains helped to prepare her for a future career
as a Special Education Teacher. Leanne intends to pursue studies in disability law.
Sam Kang of Albany, California, attends the University of California,
Berkeley. He will graduate this fall with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology
and desires to work for the Welfare Department. He previously attended Los
Angeles Harbor Community College, where he received the President Distinguished
Honor at graduation and which is presented to the student with the highest
academic record.
Sam has been the recipient of several scholarships, including
The Scott Kim Scholarship, awarded to just five outstanding college students
throughout the country each year, and his collection of essays, "Love,
Those Shiny pieces," was nominated by the Korean Culture and Arts Foundation
as recommended reading, one of only twenty books nominated. Sam is an online
news reporter for UC Berkeley and for The Korea Daily, and writes articles
on disability awareness, local politics and various university campus activities.
Kati Marie Seymour of Murdo, South Dakota, attends Sinte Gleska
University in Mission, South Dakota, where she is majoring in Human Services
with an emphasis on Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling. A coordinator for
the Ms. Wheelchair South Dakota Program who is also active with the South
Dakota Youth Leadership Forum, Kati is involved in community service on a
volunteer basis. Her public speaking roles have included the Youth Leadership
Forum Reunion 2002 and serving as keynote speaker at the Easter Seals Caregivers
Conference. She has also participated in activities where she has been the
first person in a wheelchair to participate, such as the South Dakota State
4-H Horse Show and a local pageant for the Miss South Dakota Pageant. Katie
is a member of the South Dakota Board of Vocational Rehabilitation and South
Dakota Governor's Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities.
Jacquelyn "Jacquie" Brundage Stone of Marion, Massachusetts,
is a sophomore at Wellesley College, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in
African Studies with a minor in Geology. She has been co-editor of a non-profit
literary magazine for teenagers, The Link, and worked as an "Anytown"
high school correspondent for the National Conference for Community and Justice,
publicizing diversity events in the greater Boston area. As a person who describes
herself as an explorer who consistently pursues what she wants, Jacquie's
ventures have included a summer 2003 job in Montana and international experiences
that include living in Kenya. She will graduate in May 2006.
Rachel Joy Voth of Topeka, Kansas, is pursuing majors in Social
Work and History with a pre-law concentration at Bethel College in North Newton,
Kansas. She has worked at the Kansas Advocacy and Protective Services (KAPS),
where she attained a strong knowledge of and increased her passion for disability
rights issues. Rachel has been the recipient of numerous awards, including
the Bethel College Critical Writing Award and the Topeka Model United Nations
Best Delegate Award, is a highly-active community service volunteer, and is
also an accomplished vocal and instrumental musician. As someone who has expressed
keen interest in the confluence of social welfare policy, social work and
law, Rachel will graduate in May 2006.
The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD),
the country's largest cross-disability membership organization, promotes the
economic and political empowerment of all children and adults with disabilities
in the U.S. AAPD was founded in 1995 to help unite the diverse community of
people with disabilities, including their family, friends and supporters,
and to be a national voice for change in implementing the goals of the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA).
For information regarding the AAPD Congressional Internship
Program and other internship opportunities available through AAPD, contact
AAPD toll-free at 800-840-8844 (V/TTY) or by email.
American Association of People with Disabilities
1629 K Street NW, Suite 503
Washington, DC 20006
