By Daily Press staff
Three outstanding Santa Monica College students have been selected for the prestigious Dale Ride Internship program and will serve in the U.S. Congress this summer.
The interns, who bring with them a wide variety of backgrounds and interests, will gain valuable experience through the eight-week summer internship program, believed to be unique for a community college. Interns receive stipends for expenses.
The program — which in 14 years has already sent 55 students to the White House, Congress and other agencies — is sponsored by the Dale Ride Family Fund, SMC Foundation President’s Circle, Stratton-Petit Foundation, and the SMC Associates, a community relations support organization that funds speakers and special programs on campus.
The interns and their assignments: ■ Ryuji Ogida, of Santa Monica, who will serve in the office of U.S. Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Norwalk). A communications major who is from Osaka, Japan — Ogida will transfer this fall to UCLA, UC Berkeley or USC. He hopes to have a career dedicated to battling conflicts, discrimination and war through improvements in mass media. He is a member of the college's honor societies Alpha Gamma Sigma and Phi Theta Kappa. ■ Elisha Saad, of Santa Monica, who will serve with U.S. Rep. Diane Watson (D- Culver City). Originally from Mobile, Ala., she plans to be an attorney and work to increase political participation and access. A political science major, Saad has a perfect 4.0 grade point average and will return to SMC this fall. ■ Sadia Afolabi, of Beverly Hills, who will be in the office of U.S. Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Torrance). A political science major, Afolabi hails from Togo in West Africa and is the president of the SMC Associated Students. She is also a member of the Pan African Student Union and the college's honor societies Alpha Gamma Sigma
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 26, 2006. Read the original PDF.