CHCI announces partnership for International Fellowship Program in Mexico.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) announced funding by Fundación Azteca America and Grupo Salinas for its Graduate & Young Professional Fellowship (GYP) International Affairs Program in Mexico.

“We are excited about contributing to this Fellowship program and look forward to the leaders from the program becoming key players in the international affairs arena,” said Luis J. Echarte, Chairman of Fundación Azteca America. “In the words of our Grupo Salinas Chairman Ricardo B. Salinas, ‘one of our objectives is to unite societies in the world of globalized resources, including human capital.’”

“As Latinos, we must grow our presence in the global marketplace,” said Rep. Joe Baca (CA-43), CHCI Chairman. “This partnership with Fundación Azteca America and Grupo Salinas will provide opportunities for more aspiring young people to gain experience on an international level and have an impact in the global arena as they move on in their careers.”

In an effort to respond to the need for more Latinos working on global issues, CHCI and Fundación Azteca America agreed to create an International Affairs Fellowship in Mexico modeled after a pilot program CHCI hosted with Spain in 2007. The Fellowship Program allows Fellows the benefit of broadening their policymaking experience in the international arena by traveling abroad.

The International Affairs Fellowship is a 12 month, intensive leadership development experience for two graduate level professionals interested in experiencing the connection between domestic and international policy. For the first nine months of the Fellowship, program participants will be placed at an international-related agency or organization in Washington, D.C. The final three months of the Fellowship will take place in Mexico.

The goal of the Fellowship is to prepare young Latinos for future careers in international affairs. As of 2004, only five percent of the 10,276 Foreign Service officers in the Department of State were of Hispanic origin; of the 4,509 working as Foreign Service specialists, 6.1 percent were Hispanic; and of the 7,362 working in civil service in Washington D.C., four percent were identified as Hispanic.

“It is only through continued collaboration and innovation that we will create future leaders in this growing field,” said Aguilera. “Fundación Azteca America and Grupo Salinas are making it possible for CHCI to expand its boundaries into new territories in Mexico and we look forward to giving these wonderful opportunities to our young people.”