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Fellowship Announcement: Calling CWA Scholars to Capitol Hill
In 1994, Kathy Sterling, president of CWA Local 4203, took time out for an extended trip to Washington. Kathy was working on her master's degree in conflict resolution at Antioch University when she was selected for a Congressional Fellowship on Women and Public Policy. So she packed her bags and books and headed for Capitol Hill for nine months to research labor law reform and telecommunications for Pennsylvania Rep. Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky.
Sterling is one of 186 outstanding women scholars who have learned about legislation at its source. And if you are a member of the CWA family enrolled in graduate school, you can join their ranks.
The fellowships are run by the Women's Research and Education Institute and are now in their 20th successful year. WREI, funded in part by CWA's Joseph Anthony Beirne Foundation, is a nonpartisan resource center that strengthens the links between scholars, policy makers and opinion leaders so that public policy research on women will be translated into action.
Right now, WREI is searching for a CWA member or retiree - or a member's or retiree's relative - who is pursuing a graduate degree and wishes to explore the political process. Each fellow works 30 hours a week in a House or Senate member's office or on the staff of a congressional committee, receiving six hours' credit at her home university. The WREI fellowship comes with a $9,500 stipend, up to $1,500 toward tuition and $500 to purchase health insurance.
Josephine Jenkins took advantage of this unique educational opportunity in 1993. A construction splicer who served on the CWA Local 9411 executive board as a steward and health and safety officer, Jenkins handled education and labor issues for Connecticut Rep. Barbara Kennelly, while earning a master's in public administration at Golden Gate University.
Many WREI fellows have remained in the nation's capital to improve the way American women are treated in federal programs. Others have gone back to their home states to lobby, teach and run for office. Members of Congress who have benefitted from the energy, perspective and commitment of this talented pool of academicians now vie to have a fellow placed on their staff.
Why not follow the path of Melinda Best, a granddaughter of a CWA member, who joined the program in 1994? Best took time from her master's in counseling psychology at Southern Illinois University to focus on welfare reform, child support and child care issues with Rep. Lynn Woolsey of California.
A March application deadline has been extended indefinitely for CWA candidates. If interested, call Susan Scanlan, WREI director of congressional fellowships, at (202) 628-0444.
Sterling is one of 186 outstanding women scholars who have learned about legislation at its source. And if you are a member of the CWA family enrolled in graduate school, you can join their ranks.
The fellowships are run by the Women's Research and Education Institute and are now in their 20th successful year. WREI, funded in part by CWA's Joseph Anthony Beirne Foundation, is a nonpartisan resource center that strengthens the links between scholars, policy makers and opinion leaders so that public policy research on women will be translated into action.
Right now, WREI is searching for a CWA member or retiree - or a member's or retiree's relative - who is pursuing a graduate degree and wishes to explore the political process. Each fellow works 30 hours a week in a House or Senate member's office or on the staff of a congressional committee, receiving six hours' credit at her home university. The WREI fellowship comes with a $9,500 stipend, up to $1,500 toward tuition and $500 to purchase health insurance.
Josephine Jenkins took advantage of this unique educational opportunity in 1993. A construction splicer who served on the CWA Local 9411 executive board as a steward and health and safety officer, Jenkins handled education and labor issues for Connecticut Rep. Barbara Kennelly, while earning a master's in public administration at Golden Gate University.
Many WREI fellows have remained in the nation's capital to improve the way American women are treated in federal programs. Others have gone back to their home states to lobby, teach and run for office. Members of Congress who have benefitted from the energy, perspective and commitment of this talented pool of academicians now vie to have a fellow placed on their staff.
Why not follow the path of Melinda Best, a granddaughter of a CWA member, who joined the program in 1994? Best took time from her master's in counseling psychology at Southern Illinois University to focus on welfare reform, child support and child care issues with Rep. Lynn Woolsey of California.
A March application deadline has been extended indefinitely for CWA candidates. If interested, call Susan Scanlan, WREI director of congressional fellowships, at (202) 628-0444.