Linfield College junior Giselle Naranjo-Cruz of Dundee will participate in the Verdell A. Burdine and Otto G. Rutherford Summer Congressional Internship in Washington, D.C., working for Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley.
“I am most excited for the opportunity to spend an entire day with Sen. Merkley,” said Naranjo-Cruz, a political science and business management double major. “I have so many questions that I want to ask him about his career.”
The internship provides an opportunity for an undergraduate student from Oregon to experience public policy-making up close and to further the causes of economic and social justice.
“I have always wanted to be a politician, and I can’t wait to get first-hand experience with politics and policy creation,” said Naranjo-Cruz.
This internship is named in honor of Otto and Verdell Rutherford, prominent Portland civil rights leaders whose efforts were key to the success of the passage of Oregon’s Public Accommodations Act in 1953.
“My passion has always been to help people, and I believe that I can make the greatest impact via politics,” said Naranjo-Cruz. “I really want to change the world, and that motivated me to apply for this opportunity.”
The summer internship is full time and runs from late May to late August.
