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Comcast and Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Partner to Help Hispanic Students Succeed

Posted on: Monday, 12 June 2006, 09:00 CDT

WASHINGTON, June 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), the nation's premier Hispanic educational and youth leadership development organization, announced the Comcast Foundation will sponsor three exceptional university students, from a group of 34, through a $50,000 grant, to participate in CHCI's highly competitive Congressional Internship Program.

Additionally, with Comcast's leadership and support, CHCI is adding a unique corporate component, in this its 20th program anniversary, whereby interns leverage the Capitol Hill public policy experience with unmatched corporate mentoring through Comcast executives and business operations.

CHCI-Comcast interns will be assigned to Congressional offices on Capitol Hill for a period of eight weeks, from June to August, to learn first-hand about the federal legislative process and major issues pending before the U.S. House of Representatives.

In addition, CHCI-Comcast Interns will have the opportunity to meet with Comcast senior executives in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., as well as with their local Comcast cable system personnel, giving them a first-hand introduction to the communications industry.

"CHCI has a longstanding history and commitment in providing national programs to Hispanic youth to help develop and increase our nation's talent pool of skilled Hispanic professionals and future leaders," said CHCI President and CEO Esther Aguilera. "With this support from Comcast and the Comcast Foundation, our nationally recognized Congressional Internship Program will help provide these exceptional undergraduate students with unmatched public policy experience and mentorship opportunities both with corporate and elected officials."

"The Comcast Foundation invests in our nation's future through meaningful and educational programs that promote youth leadership and diversity," said David L. Cohen, executive vice president of Comcast and chairman of the Comcast Foundation. "CHCI's Internship Program is a premier opportunity for students to acquire an understanding of how Washington works that will serve them well for their entire careers."

"We are pleased to launch the corporate component of CHCI's Congressional Internship Program. It is an honor to be able to offer a complementary business experience to these talented interns," said Susan Gonzales, senior director of federal government affairs at Comcast. "We thank CHCI for working with us to give these students a groundbreaking opportunity."

CHCI-Comcast interns, all of whom reside or attend school in Comcast service areas, are: Mayra Canizales of Hayward, CA, a Political Science student at the University of California, Berkeley; Jonathan Gonzalez of Elgin, IL, a Political Science & English Literature student at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; and Claudia Medina of Miami, FL, a Political Science student at the University of Miami.

CHCI-Comcast interns receive housing, roundtrip transportation to and from Washington, D.C. and a $2,000 stipend from CHCI. To be eligible, applicants must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents with leadership potential and a vast history of community and public service. Interns are responsible for conducting extensive legislative research, monitoring day-to-day Congressional hearings, managing constituent communications and assisting with general policy matters. Additionally, interns participate in weekly CHCI leadership development sessions, featuring panels and workshops, and they meet with corporate representatives, national elected officials and foreign dignitaries. Participants are required to work on a collaborative community service project to complete the program.

Comcast and the Comcast Foundation provide additional funding and in-kind support towards CHCI's programmatic operations and outreach expansion efforts.

CHCI will celebrate the accomplishments of our nation's Hispanic youth; the 25th anniversary of the Public Policy Fellowship Program; the 20th anniversary of the Congressional Internship Program; and the 5th anniversary of the Scholarship Program at its Public Policy Conference and 29th Annual Gala, October 2-4, coinciding with Hispanic Heritage Month.

About Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), a nonprofit and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization, provides leadership development programs and educational services to students and young emerging leaders. The CHCI Board of Directors is comprised of Hispanic Members of Congress, nonprofit leaders and corporate executives. For more information call CHCI at (202) 543-1771 or visit http://www.chci.org/.

About Comcast

Comcast Corporation (http://www.comcast.com/) is the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services. With 21.7 million cable customers, 9.0 million high-speed Internet customers, and 1.5 million voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.

The Company's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, The Golf Channel, OLN, G4, AZN Television, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One and four regional Comcast SportsNets. The Company also has a majority ownership in Comcast Spectacor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia. Comcast Class A common stock and Class A Special common stock trade on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbols CMCSA and CMCSK, respectively.

For more information, please visit http://www.chci.org/media/media.html.

Comcast

CONTACT: Daniel Diaz of CHCI, +1-202-548-5876, or ddiaz@chci.org; orMelissa Volin of Comcast, +1-215-320-8254, or Melissa_volin@comcast.com

Web site: http://www.comcast.com/http://www.chci.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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