International relations student finishes Congressional internship, gains on-Hill experience

Like many FIU students who return from Washington D.C. after completing federal internships, Luis Enrique Pantigoso recently came back from D.C., pumped about his future.

The Peruvian-born 28-year-old international relations junior was among 16 students from universities across the United States who spent 12 weeks this fall completing the competitive Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Congressional Internship Program, working on Capitol Hill.

From August to November, he worked in the office of fellow Panther U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen ’75, MS ’87. He attended weekly leadership/mentorship sessions that featured speakers such as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and other high-profile Hispanics working on the Hill. And he even got to meet the president of the United States.

“I did it all in Washington,” he said. “From making coffee to writing letters of congratulations from Rep. Ros-Lehtinen for accomplished South Floridians to learning about legislature and how everything on the Hill works.

“I met ambassadors and even President Obama and the first lady, which was pretty exciting.”

Pantigoso first learned about Congressional Internship Program from a flyer he picked up in the SIPA building at Modesto A. Maidique Campus. He saw that everything he’d need covered while in D.C. would be taken care of – the Caucus provided round-trip transportation, housing and a monthly stipend – and decided the internship would be the best way to learn in the thick of it all.

“Some might see it as a waste of time to go to D.C. while you’re still in school, but I saw it as gaining time,” he said. “Being there was really, really great. I learned so much about the process – like, I didn’t know it took 20 years for the seatbelt law to pass because there are that many steps to go through on the Hill.

“I helped build a house for Habitat for Humanity as part of the program, and I met people that I will stay in touch with, definitely.”

Among those people are his fellow interns – because “you never know where we’ll be in five years, plus we all got along really well” – and Rey Decerega, CHCI’s programs director, who is sure Pantigoso benefited from his time in the nation’s capital.

“Luis Enrique did very well working in Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen’s office and in our leadership program,” he said. “We have had many students who, like him, have come to us from FIU. They’re hungry and eager to come to D.C. and learn the ropes.”

The 2011 class of Congressional Internship Program interns represented six different Hispanic ethnic backgrounds from 11 states and Puerto Rico. The institute provides Hispanic students with unmatched public policy experience and leadership training. Its goal is to create a workforce pipeline to Capitol Hill and the public-policy sector.

Pantigoso is looking ahead at life after graduating from FIU because of this internship and is debating where he’ll pursue a master’s degree. New York City is at the top of his list – he has his eye on an internship at the United Nations.

“That’s the beauty about federal internships,” said Carlos Becerra ’98, MPA ’01, director of FIU Federal Relations. “They not only are a great showcase four our diverse student body, but they help students refine their plans for the future.”