Washington Internships for Native Students

Dear WINS alumni, friends and supporters,

We are writing to share with you the news that we have had to suspend our Washington Internships for Native Students (WINS) program. American University has greatly appreciated the opportunity to work with so many talented native students, who have contributed so much to our campus and community, as well as our partners in the American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities. We are grateful to the many government agencies, and other supporters of WINS who made the program possible. Unfortunately, funding issues, changes in internship placement procedures, and other challenges have led us to the difficult decision to suspend WINS for now.

We do plan to continue to support professional development and educational opportunities for native students. Indeed, we are quite excited about some new program opportunities. We are currently developing a pilot program, in Oklahoma, that will partner students with internships near their home communities, with the goal of creating long-term employment opportunities. In the future, we hope to expand this program to other locations, and to incorporate travel to Washington, DC as part of the students' academic coursework. We will share additional details on this program, in the near future.

We thank you for your support of WINS and for your understanding as we transition our efforts.

Sincerely,
Carola Weil, PhD
Dean, School of Professional & Extended Studies (SPExS)
American University