APAPA NATIONAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
Advancing Our Next Generation of Leaders
Recognizing our 240+ Hosting Legislators & Public Officials
APAPA INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
Spring 2025 Session - CA State Capitol Placement Program
Internship Dates: March 1st - June 5th, 2025
Students will be interning at the offices of hosting legislators and public officials at the CA State Capitol in Sacramento. Interns will work on office assigned projects while gaining real world experience. In addition to working 12-15 hours with your placed office, there are APAPA attendance requirements:
March 1, 2025, 11am-3pm: In-Person Orientation at APAPA HQ
March 24, 2025, 5pm-6:30pm: In-Person Workshop #1 in Davis
April 14, 2025, 5pm-6:30pm: In-Person Workshop #2 in Davis
April 28, 2025, 8am-9pm: CA AANHPI Advocacy Day, full day attendance at the CA State Capitol
April 28, 2025: API Heritage Month Reception and Intern Graduation
Student Interns will be invited to participate in APAPA activities and events throughout the Spring Session.
Please Note: This is an unpaid internship opportunity. If you need financial assistance, you may indicate that in the email when you submit your resume to apply.
To apply, please email internships@apapa.org with the following:
Resume (Please label your resume with First Name and Last Name)
Contact Information including phone number and email address
Indication that you are applying for the Spring 2025 CA State Capitol Placement Program
Summer 2025 Session - National Placement Program
Internship Dates: June – August 2025
APAPA Chapters offer summer placements in-person with legislators and public officials across the country. Interns will be placed in one of the 100+ office placements around the Country, hosted by our Chapters. The majority of work will be done directly with the elected office and in addition there are requirements with our APAPA Headquarters:
Virtual Nationwide Orientation (Mid-late June)
Virtual Professional Development Week: Three workshops across a single week focused around a Case Competition
Local APAPA Chapters may place interns with hosting legislators or public officials’ offices.
Note: This is an unpaid internship opportunity. If you need financial assistance, you may indicate that in the email when you submit your resume to apply.
To apply, please email internships@apapa.org with the following:
Resume (Please label your resume with First Name and Last Name)
Contact Information including phone number and email address
Indication that you are applying for the Summer 2025 Placement Program
Summer 2025 Session - Washington DC Placement Program
Internship Dates: Summer or Fall 2025
This competitive program places interns in our nation’s Capital. You will be working in person with a member of Congress or one of our many federal agencies. Unless otherwise noted, interns are expected to work 15-20 hours per week in person.
Virtual Nationwide Orientation (Mid-late June)
Virtual Professional Development Week: Three workshops across a single week focused around a Case Competition
Note: This is an unpaid internship opportunity. If you need financial assistance, you may indicate that in the email when you submit your resume to apply.
To apply, please email internships@apapa.org with the following:
Resume (Please label your resume with First Name and Last Name)
Contact Information including phone number and email address
Indication that you are applying for the Summer 2025 Washington DC Program
Outstanding Intern projects and reports
Check out the projects that our APAPA student interns have prepared for the CA Asian American Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, CA Black Legislative Caucus, and other organizations!
Intern Success Stories
Grace Fang
Grace is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Applied Psychology at USC. She is expected to graduate in 2025, in which she hopes to work in consumer insights or UX research. She is grateful for the leadership and civic engagement skills she gained during her time as a Program Manager at APAPA's Internship Program.
Camryn Chen
Camryn Chen is currently concluding the Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellowship, where she served as the Assembly Fellow in Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel’s office. Through this fellowship, she gained valuable insights into the legislative process and what it takes to pass a bill through the legislature. Camryn hopes to leverage this experience to continue shaping public policy in the future.
Dhruv Muralidhar
Dhruv graduated from UC Berkeley in May 2024 with a B.S. in Business Administration and a B.A. in Political Science. Soon after, he was hired by the Epic Systems Corporation, the leading healthcare software provider, as a Project Manager. In this capacity, Dhruv helps manage the rollout and implementation of Epic software at major healthcare organizations around the country. He lends his success in large part to his experience managing timelines and projects at APAPA.
Aidan Kato
After completing his APAPA internship, Aidan Kato graduated from UC Davis and took a job with a public affairs firm in Sacramento. Through this firm, Aidan has had the opportunity to work with a number of political campaigns across the country. Aidan has used many of the skills he learned as an APAPA intern to help his firm's clients win local, state, and federal elections.
Megan Pagaduan
Megan first joined APAPA as an intern in the Spring 2021 program, and continued on as a Committee Coordinator and Program Manager. Since completing APAPA’s internship program, she graduated from UC Berkeley with Highest Honors in Political Science, and worked at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Francisco, where she worked in the criminal division focusing on cyber/national security, civil rights, public corruption, and corporate and securities fraud. Now, she is pursuing her law degree at the University of Michigan Law School.
Jade Faircloth
The APAPA internship provided an incredible opportunity to collaborate with fellow college students from across the nation while gaining professional experience. It offered valuable exposure to essential research and advocacy skills. This program was an excellent platform for networking with professionals and peers alike
Here is what our interns have to say…
Sophia Smith
University of California, Davis
I am a fourth year at UC Davis majoring in International Relations and minoring in Communications and Human Rights. I am from Sonoma, CA. From working at the capitol, I have learned how to be approachable, available, and helpful to constituents to ensure I am serving them to the best of my ability.
Isabella Tolentino
University of California, Davis
I am a current UC Davis International Relations, French and Education student from Livermore, CA. My experience in the office of Assemblywoman (D11) and Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus Lori D. Wilson has been incredibly rewarding and enriching. Now, more than ever before, I recognize the crucial role that collaboration plays in driving change, increased equity, and justice.
Rachel Nguyen
Cal Poly Pomona
Throughout my internship, I was involved in various projects that directly impacted the AANHPI community. From conducting policy research on the ethnic diversity of California judicial appointments to consulting the first annual May Party for the AANHPI Leg Caucus and AANHPI members in Nevada, I felt like an integral part of the team. The mentorship and guidance I received from Andrew, Patrick, and my Committee Manager Karen (who is also an APAPA alum!) were invaluable, helping me to hone my professional skills and build a robust network of contacts. The APAPA Internship Program has equipped me with the tools and confidence to make a meaningful impact in my community. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity and highly recommend this program to anyone passionate about making a difference.
Holly Hessner
Boston University
I had a great internship experience. Within a couple of months, I had gained professional leadership, research, and political writing skills. I found that APAPA was not only helpful in preparing me for future internships/jobs, but also a very inspiring organization.
Aaron Pilapil
University of California, Davis
I'm a second year at UC Davis majoring in Cognitive Science with a minor in Political Science. I'm from Union City. During my time with Assemblymember Haney, I've learned a lot about the legislative process and behind the scenes actions that make it all work. I've gained a very valuable insight into what a career in politics would look like and the kind of work that's available.
Doris Lee
UCLA
If you're looking to gain experience in civic engagement, APAPA truly encourages you to step out of your comfort zone and learn about legislative policies. Through this program, I have had the wonderful opportunity to connect and network with various civic leaders as well as like-minded peers; thankfully, I have also had the opportunity to develop my leadership skills through project management and case competitions.
Sedona Peri
Boston University
My internship with APAPA was fulfilling both professionally and personally. I acquired valuable professional skills that I have applied to future endeavors, while collaborating to create meaningful and important work. I recommend the program to any college student or graduate looking to gain experience and expand their professional network by working with other passionate, supportive, and driven individuals.
Vrinda Vutukury
University of California, Davis
Being placed in the Lt. Governor's Office has been an extremely fulfilling and inspiring experience for me this spring. Yesterday, the Lt. Governor took me under her wing, and I had the honor of meeting Vice President Kamala Harris. Each day in the office was different and exciting, and I have learnt so much about state politics in various sectors. The Lt. Governor and her staff have been great mentors and have helped guide me toward achieving my end goal of joining the foreign service. I wanted to share that I am extending my time with the office into the summer and express my gratitude to you and APAPA for helping me get here. I could not have gotten this dream internship without APAPA!
Diya Simha
University of California, Davis
Through my internship in Assemblymember Bains’ office, I have gained valuable insights into legislative processes and developed skills in policy research and constituent communication. I have really enjoyed working at the California State Capitol and it has deepened my passion for public service and advocacy.
Karen Wantanabe
Fordham University
My time in APAPA was a fantastic experience. I started as a committee member and soon proceeded from project manager to committee manager. During those experiences, I was honored to work with various peers nationwide. Together, we have worked and led initiatives to register people to vote and conduct research work into reports. Moreover, through networking opportunities and meeting amazing folks from APAPA, I have learned much about their work and many initiatives from guests working in government fields.