NetNews

Shawn Golley '08, of Hamilton, New York, is one of 10 students participating this summer in the 2007 Microsoft-American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) Federal I.T. Internship Program.

Golley is an intern with the U.S. patent and trademark office, where he will learn about section 508-compliance. A computer science and physics major, with a minor in mathematics, he also works as a help desk technician in information technology, providing support to students, faculty and staff. Golley has work experience with database development and Web design, and is an editor for The Hill News, the student newspaper. In addition, he coordinates enrichment events for The Hub, a computer-themed on-campus community.

The Microsoft-AAPD Federal I.T. Internship Program, which was launched in 2003, is designed for college and university students with disabilities from around the country who are interested in pursuing careers in information technology. Students participate in a paid summer internship at a federal agency in Washington, D.C. The program aims to give college and university students with disabilities the opportunity to participate in and benefit from highly sought-after internships with the federal branch to which other students have long had access. The Microsoft-AAPD Federal I.T. Internship Program gives the interns real-world work experience, further enhances their employment opportunities, allows them to hone their information technology skills, and enables them to learn firsthand how political and regulatory processes work. By harnessing the talent that exists among college students with disabilities, it also strives to demonstrate to public and private employers that students with disabilities are solid prospects as members of the information technology workforce.

Internships are awarded on the basis of a written application and personal interviews. Other interns in this year's programs are students at the Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (two), Northern Kentucky University, DeVry University, University of Maryland in College Park, Concordia University, Minnesota State University-Mankato and the University of Toledo.

The AAPD, the country's largest cross-disability membership organization, promotes economic and political power for all children and adults living with disabilities in the U.S. AAPD was founded in 1995 to help unite the diverse community of people with disabilities, including their families, friends and supporters, and to be a national voice for change in implementing the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

More information: Profile of Shawn Golley '08

Posted: June 20, 2007