Francisco Gomez from Omaha, Neb., competed against more than 800 applicants to become one of 40 students working at Capitol Hill this summer in Washington, D.C. A finance and international business senior at the College of Business Administration, he received an eight-week internship offered by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.

Gomez worked in Michigan Congressman Sandy Levin’s office assisting with office work and learning about constituent services and the legislative process. He attended briefings on the semi-annual monetary policy report and the hearings about Obamacare, as well as district-wide events.

He met many of the U.S. Congressional Delegation, including Nebraska officials Sen. Mike Johanns, Rep. Jeff Fortenberry and Rep. Adrian Smith.

For Gomez, the internship had been a long-time goal. He first learned about the program when he was researching scholarship opportunities in high school.

“I wanted to be a part of the program and devoted myself to preparing for it. People my age often procrastinate, so in a sense, starting early was one of my advantages,” Gomez said.

He enrolled in business law classes at Omaha Burke High School and got involved in organizations like the Mexican American Student Association at UNL. He then completed a rigorous application process and was interviewed by members of the U.S. Congress.

“I competed against students from Harvard, Yale and many other prestigious universities before getting the internship,” said Gomez. “Having studied internationally through the Nebraska at Oxford Program in 2011 helped me to stand out.”

Having successfully met his goal as an intern in D.C., Gomez is now working toward his next achievement.
“I want to go to law school at UNL after I graduate to learn more about corporate law. With my law degree, I would like to practice in the field for five or more years, and then I’ll go into politics,” he said. Published: March 28, 2013