(May 20, 2008) Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) congratulates Annette Rodriguez, a constituent from East Los Angeles, on her completion of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Public Policy Fellowship. The 23-year-old graduate of Garfield Magnet High School in East Los Angeles and U.C. Riverside was one of only 23 students from throughout the country to participate in the competitive nine-month program. The Institute placed Annette in the Office of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. In this position, she worked to further the office’s mission to examine the underlying causes of the existing educational achievement gap between Hispanic American students and their peers. She wrote education policy briefings, attended education-related conferences and conducted research evaluating the success of programs dedicated to increasing Latino high school and college graduation rates. During her stay in Washington, D.C., Annette also participated in a wide-range of community service projects, including tutoring students, helping adults to learn English and signing up new voters through registration drives. She is currently spending her summer conducting research in the field of psychology at the University of Utah where she is participating in the university’s Summer Research Opportunity Program. Annette’s ultimate goal is to attend graduate school in child clinical psychology. To learn more about the Institute’s fellowship program and other educational opportunities, visit www.chci.org. Pictured from left to right: Martha Rodriguez, Annette’s mother; Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34); Annette Rodriguez, CHCI fellow; and Steve Reynoso, Annette’s younger brother.