Sacramento State’s Capital Fellows Programs were recently recognized by Vault, a career management and research information website, as one of the top 10 internships in the United States.

Vault chose the Capital Fellows Programs after reviewing 785 programs from around the country. Criteria for evaluation include training, mentorship, pay and chances of getting real jobs after the internship.

“The Capital Fellows Programs are a great experience for anyone who wants to pursue a career in law, government or public service,” said Carolyn Wise, editor of the Vault Guide to Top Internships, in an email to The State Hornet. “One insider called them “the most prestigious fellowship in California’s State Capitol’ and have tons of what Vault editors call “resume radiance.'”

Timothy Hodson, director of the Center for California Studies, which administers the fellowships, said the recognition justifies the strengths and benefits of the program.

“I think the measure of our success is the fact that over half of the offices in California employ (former) fellows,” he said.

Also among the top 10 are Garmin International, General Electric, Google Inc., INROADS Inc., J.P. Morgan’s Investment Bank, KPMG, Nickelodeon Animation Studios, the Smithsonian Institution and Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

The Capital Fellows Programs consist of four fellowships: Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellowship, Executive Fellowship, Judicial Administration Fellowship and California Senate Fellows.

Participants in the Fellows Program work for 11 months as staffers in the legislative, executive and judicial branches of California state government. They receive a monthly stipend of $1,972, full health, vision and dental benefits and 12 units of academic credit from Sac State’s government department.

“The purpose is more of giving opportunities particularly to people who otherwise would not have an opportunity for this type of work,” Hodson said.

State Senator and former Senate fellow Dean Florez, D-Shafter, said he would not have run for office if he did not become a fellow. He became a fellow in 1987 and worked for Sen. Art Torres, D-Los Angeles.

“It got me interested in how the Capitol works,” Florez said. “Senate fellows uniquely have the ability to influence the policy process. It’s a very messy process and you have to make your hands dirty.”

Charles Lawlor, Sac State alumnus and former Jesse M. Unruh Assembly fellow, said the fellowship prepared him for the job he wanted to have. He became a fellow in spring 2008 and worked as a legislative staff for Assembly Member John Perez, D-Los Angeles.

Current Senate fellow and Stanford University graduate Sergio Rosas said the fellowship taught him things he never would have learned in any other program or class.

“You learn how politics influence policies and understand how the policy process works,” Rosas said. “You learn what state government does and the challenges in coming up with policies.”

Hodson said that although the center hires applicants from other universities, some of which are Ivy League schools, about 20 to 25 percent of the fellows are California State University graduates.

“It’s highly competitive. Last year, we had 1,500 applicants for all of the fellowships’ 64 positions,” Hodson said.

Lawlor was one of more than 400 applicants for the Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellowship. Eighteen, including Lawlor, were accepted.

“When I got the fellowship, it was pure excitement and gratification,” he said. “I spent a long time preparing my resume to become a viable candidate, and for all the hard work to pay off was really one of the greatest feelings I’ve ever felt.”

For future applicants, Florez has a piece of advice:

“Don’t come up here if you don’t want to work,” he said. “Fellows are given real responsibilities. It’s not an internship; it’s a job.”

Kristine Guerra can be reached at [email protected].