[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4143]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     SOUTH CAROLINA WASHINGTON SEMESTER PROGRAM CELEBRATES 25 YEARS

                                  _____
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 10, 2017

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise as dean of the South Carolina 
congressional delegation to recognize and honor the South Carolina 
Washington Semester Program for 25 years of offering outstanding young 
people from South Carolina colleges and universities the opportunity to 
come to Washington, D.C. to learn and serve. Each office in the 
delegation has benefitted from involvement with these students, who 
work for us in internships during the business day and earn college 
credits at night. The program was founded to ensure that South Carolina 
congressional offices had access to talented South Carolina students. 
These students have proven to be some of the brightest and most engaged 
to ever serve in our offices over the past quarter century.
  The students are chosen competitively from statewide interviews and 
come to Washington for the academic semester. They work full time, five 
days a week, in placements consistent with their academic and career 
interests. While administered by the South Carolina Honors College, 
this is truly a statewide program and is larger than a single school. 
Over the years, high achieving students from The Citadel, South 
Carolina State University, University of South Carolina Lancaster, 
College of Charleston, University of South Carolina Aiken, Clemson 
University, Lander University, Winthrop University, Coastal Carolina 
University, Wofford College, Francis Marion University, Charleston 
Southern University, Claflin University, University of South Carolina 
Upstate, and University of South Carolina Columbia have participated. 
Over 25 years, more than 500 students have participated in the program.
  In addition to each office in the delegation, Senators Lindsey Graham 
and Tim Scott and my colleagues Mark Sanford, Joe Wilson, Jeff Duncan, 
Trey Gowdy, and Tom Rice, over its 25 years the program has been 
utilized by our predecessors as well. South Carolina Washington 
Semester Program students have served Strom Thurmond, Fritz Hollings, 
Jim DeMint, Arthur Ravenel, Henry Brown, Floyd Spence, Butler Derrick, 
Gresham Barrett, Liz Patterson, Bob Inglis, John Spratt, Robin Tallon, 
and Mick Mulvaney.
  South Carolina Washington Semester Program students have also served 
in over 88 governmental, non-profit, and private sector agencies such 
as the White House, CNN, C-SPAN, United States Supreme Court, 
Departments of Justice, Commerce, Homeland Security, Education, State, 
Health and Human Services, U.S. Trade Representative, various House and 
Senate Committees, and many others.
  I salute the students, schools, professors, placement offices and 
others who have contributed to 25 years of making this the best 
semester of students' undergraduate careers. I thank and commend each 
of the participating universities, and I look forward to the program's 
continued success in the future.

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