SVSU student earns prestigious internship with Congressional Black Caucus Foundation

A Saginaw Valley State University student’s passion for law and helping others will intersect this summer when she serves as an intern for a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit that influences policy to advance African-American communities. 

 

Arianna Jones was selected as one of 57 interns – out of 700 applicants nationally – to serve the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation for eight weeks beginning June 1. She is one of two college students in the state to earn the internship this summer.

 

“With this amazing opportunity, I will have a chance to learn more about the inner workings of our government, and how laws are made and change is brought about,” said the Midland resident. 

 

The nonprofit's leadership includes members of the U.S. House of Representatives such as Cedric Richmond, Sheila Jackson Lee and Joyce Beatty as well as other prominent national figures including Henry Louis Gates Jr. of Harvard University. The foundation’s board includes industry leaders with companies such as Coca-Cola, Ford Motor Company, Microsoft and NBC Universal. 

 

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation promotes public policies focused on health and financial empowerment while developing strategic policy-supporting research and resources for the public. The internship program was established in 1986.

 

A prospective Civil Rights attorney, Jones said the internship will provide her with a platform to learn about how public policies are created and implemented. 

 

“This opportunity will give me the resources to network and meet my role models,” said Jones, a professional and technical writing major at SVSU. 

 

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jones will be performing her internship duties remotely from home rather than from the foundation’s Washington, D.C. headquarters. 

 

Jones is an accomplished student at SVSU. 

 

She was selected as one of 10 students to participate in the 2019-20 class of the Roberts Fellowship Program, a year-long leadership development initiative. She also participates in SVSU’s moot court program, which is ranked No. 17 in the nation; as well as the campus chapter of the National Society of Leadership and Success.

 

Jones serves as SVSU's chapter president of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first historically African-American Greek-lettered sorority for college-educated women. She also worked as a photographer for The Valley Vanguard, SVSU's student newspaper.