Program includes a summer internship with an LGBTQ or allied member of Congress
Washington, DC – Today Victory Institute announced the 12 young LGBTQ leaders it selected for the 2018 class of the Victory Congressional Internship program. The program includes a full-time summer internship with a member of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus in addition to mentoring and a rigorous leadership development course. The internship aims to support the professional development of young out LGBTQ leaders and serves as a stepping stone to careers in government and advocacy.
The 2018 Victory Congressional Interns will be hosted in the offices of U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi; U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin, Catherine Cortez Masto, Doug Jones, and Robert Menendez; and U.S. Representatives Joseph Crowley, Jimmy Gomez, Hakeem Jeffries, Sean Patrick Maloney, Gwen Moore, Linda Sánchez and Mark Takano.
“Developing the next generation of LGBTQ public leaders is critical to advancing equality for our community,” said Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Institute. “Our investment in these 12 college students helps them accrue the skills, experience and insights necessary to become public leaders and continue the fight of those who came before them. Our 2018 class has already proven themselves to be leaders at their colleges and universities, and we are thrilled to provide them with this unique opportunity to jumpstart their careers in public service.”
The 2018 class of the Victory Congressional Internship program is listed below. Profiles for each intern are available on Victory Institute’s OutPower blog.
2018 Victory Congressional Interns
Vanessa Alva
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
School: Mercer University
Placement: Congressman Jimmy Gomez
Lena Dreves
Hometown: Ann Arbor, MI
School: University of Michigan
Placement: Congressman Joe Crowley
Donna Gary
Hometown: Chicago, IL
School: New York University
Placement: Congressman Hakeem Jeffries
Elias Hakim
Hometown: Vienna, VA
School: Virginia Commonwealth University
Placement: Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney
Jack Hoda
Hometown: Petal, MS
School: University of Southern Mississippi
Placement: Congressman Mark Takano
Juan Martinez Guevara
Hometown: Dallas, TX
School: Georgetown University
Placement: Senator Tammy Baldwin
Sydney Mudd
Hometown: Gurnee, IL
College/University: College of Lake County
Placement: Congresswoman Linda Sánchez
Genevieve Onyiuke-Kennedy
Hometown: Buford, GA
School: Georgia Institute of Technology
Placement: Congresswoman Gwen Moore
John Priddy
Hometown: Lone Tree, CO
School: Emory University
Placement: Senator Doug Jones
Michaé Pulido
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
School: California State University, Northridge
Placement: Senator Catherine Cortez Masto
José Turrubiartez
Hometown: Chicago, IL
School: University of San Diego
Placement: Senator Bob Menendez
Kevin Wei
Hometown: Plano, TX
School: Columbia University
Placement: Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
About Victory Institute
Victory Institute works to increase the number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in public office and to provide programming, service, and other support to ensure their success.