Sep 6

Cheryl Vazquez of Ephrata is working in policy office of the state Department of Environmental Protection as part of a 15-week internship sponsored by Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education.

Vazquez is a senior political science and German major at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. She is one of 11 students participating in The Harrisburg Internship Semester (THIS) program, which provides students the opportunity to work in all areas of state government while earning a full semester's worth of credits. THIS invites students from each of the 14 State System universities to participate.

Vazquez is the daughter of Kevin and Nancy Vazquez and 2014 graduate of Ephrata High School. She and the other students participating in the program also will attend several academic seminars during their fall semester internship. Each of the students will complete an individualized research project as part of the program's requirements.

More than 600 students from the State System universities have participated in THIS since the program began in 1989, each gaining valuable insight into the workings of state government at the policy-making level. Interns have worked with dozens of state agencies, as well as in the offices of the governor, the speaker of the House of Representatives and the attorney general.