Program Dates: June 1 to August 7, 2026
Location: Washington, D.C.
Priority Deadline to apply is November 30, 2025 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.
Final Deadline to apply is January 5, 2026 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.
MORE INFORMATION AND APPLICATION
For over 35 years, OCA National Center has hosted one of the longest-running internship programs in the nation’s capital for college students interested in uplifting the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community.
The internship program seeks to cultivate future leadership in the next generation of youths by providing opportunities to work in the public sector and learn about issues affecting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Based in the nation’s capital, interns will learn to build relationships, meet with legislative officials, and engage in leadership development workshops.
The program has successfully led past interns to become more active on their college campus and increased the presence of the AANHPI community in local, state, and federal governments. OCA intern alumni have become executive directors, legislative staffers, OCA National Executive Council members, and are leaders in the private and public sector.
Selected applicants relocate to Washington, D.C. for the duration of their internship, where they are placed to work full-time at nonprofits, federal agencies, congressional offices, for-profit corporations, and other organizations. Each Friday, interns gather at the OCA National office to discuss issues and engage in workshops dedicated to AANHPI issues. We call these convenings “Sama Sama,” which is Tagalog for “together.” Interns also must attend and staff OCA’s National Convention, an APIA-U: Leadership training, and participate in Advocacy Day, in which they’ll be split into groups to meet with their respective members of Congress to advocate for causes important to the AANHPI community. In addition to these events, OCA interns are provided opportunities to build their professional, personal, and advocacy skills to create compassionate leaders in the AANHPI community.
