Contact: Keegan Koberl
805-458-9302; [email protected]

SAN LUIS OBISPO — Patrick Henry, a third-year student dual majoring in political science and history from Redondo Beach, Calif., will serve as Cal Poly’s 2024 representative to the Panetta Institute Congressional Internship Program.

After a two-week training period at the Panetta Institute at California State University Monterey Bay, Henry will work in the Capitol Hill office of a California congressional representative in Washington, D.C., for 11 weeks in the fall.

“I am eager to use this incredible opportunity as a Learn by Doing experience,” Henry said. “When I am working on Capitol Hill, the practical skills I will learn that are needed for any political science-related job I want to pursue will be immense.

“This opportunity and everything I can learn on the job will be life-changing and hopefully lead me to pursue the career and life path of my dreams.”

Henry is one of the principal founders of the San Luis Obispo Model United Nations Club at Cal Poly. Since founding the club, the university’s Model United Nations team has expanded its membership and participates in a greater number of competitions with improved performances. The club’s delegate membership now comes from almost every major on campus.

Henry is the 24th Cal Poly student to participate in the Panetta Institute program since 2001. He will join 20 other students, all nominated by the presidents of California State University campuses, as well as two private universities, Saint Mary’s College of California and Santa Clara University. The program is open to all academic majors and is recognized as one of the leading internship courses in the nation because of the rigorous training it provides.

The Panetta Institute covers program costs, including course registration fees, campus services during orientation, air travel and housing in Washington, D.C. By covering these expenses, the institute can make the program available to interns from all socioeconomic levels. Cal Poly awardees are supported in part through the Ed and Jan Slevin Congressional Internship Endowment.

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About the Panetta Institute for Public Policy
Founded in 1997 by Leon and Sylvia Panetta, the Panetta Institute serves the entire California State University system plus several other schools. Under the direction of Secretary Panetta and Mrs. Panetta, the institute provides a variety of study opportunities in government, politics and public policy, and sponsors a range of other programs. These include the Leon Panetta Lecture Series, which brings national political leaders and policy thinkers to the Monterey Peninsula to discuss important national and global issues, a Policy Research Fellows Program and the Leon E. Panetta Archive, a resource for scholars interested in the workings of Congress and the federal government. The institute is located on the CSU Monterey Bay campus in Marina, California.