The Washington Leadership Program continues to grow and prosper. The program, in its seventh year, continues to remain the most prestigious and elite program for the community. With over 120 applicants, the ten scholars who qualify for the WLP are amongst the best and most diverse the program will ever seen.

The Program founded in 1995, and re-started in 2006 by the Alumni brings the best and brightest college students from the community to Washington, DC to intern on Capitol Hill and in Government agencies to learn and become leaders in policy and politics.

The students go through a rigorous weekend long orientation program where they met with Capitol Hill staffers and agency officials to get an understanding on how to prepare and succeed during their internship.

Not only do the students get a unique opportunity to work for a Member of Congress or for a South Asian appointed official in an agency, they get to meet trailblazers in the community in the arena. For instance the scholars get sit down meetings with leaders like Nisha Desai Biswal, the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, and Judge Sri Srinivasan, one of the top judges in the country.

Students get to intern for Congresspersons like Ami Bera (D-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), and Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO). WLP also offers internships at Federal agencies working with South Asians who are senior advisors at the Department of Commerce, Labor, and USAID.

The program continues to strive to build the next generation of leaders. The summer experience for these WLP scholars is just the first step, they are also connected with a greater network of supporters and alumni who want to see members of this community succeed. Just as 2014 brought an outstanding class of scholars, 2015 promises to be the best yet.

Applications are available online at www.thewlp.com. The deadline for submitting applications is January 23, 2015.