HispanicBusiness

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) National Internship Program was identified by the federal government's Office of Personnel Management as one mechanism that agencies should utilize to increase Hispanic representation in the work force. Starting with 24 students in 1992, the program has placed more than 3,300 students as interns within federal agencies

Each year, HACU matches students from its membership of Hispanic-serving institutions (schools with Hispanic enrollment of 25 percent or more) with opportunities in the federal bureaucracy. The program placed 616 interns in 21 federal agencies in Washington, D.C., or federal field offices this year (see table).

Agencies with the highest cumulative totals over the past nine years are the Agriculture Department (593 interns), Health & Human Services Department (519), Commerce Department (450), and Transportation Department (382).

Of last year's participants, about 41 percent were college underclassmen, another 37 percent were college seniors, and the remainder (22 percent) were graduate students. Their average grade point average is 3.31. For more information about HACU internships, visit www.hacu.com.