Summer 2021 Congressional Interns
MARIA SALMERON MELENDEZ
Current Position/Organization
CHCI-Comcast Intern
Hometown: Silver Spring, Maryland
School: Lafayette College
Major: Economics and Government & Law
Placement: The Office of Rep. Jamaal Bowman
Maria Salmeron is a proud Afro-Latina immigrant from Honduras. In August 2010, she immigrated to the United States with her mother and brother to pursue the ostensible American dream.
Today, Maria is a senior at Lafayette College studying Economics and Government & Law. Maria is a Posse Scholarship recipient at Lafayette, a full-tuition leadership scholarship given to students of diverse backgrounds. As an aspiring policymaker in the nation’s educational system, she is passionate about diversity, equity, inclusion, and closing opportunity gaps disproportionately affecting Black and Latino students. Throughout her college career, Maria has interned at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and served as an Accelerate Fellow with Teach for America during Summer 2020. Along with the Posse Foundation full-tuition scholarship, Maria has also been recognized with the 2017 National Gold Hispanic Heritage Foundation award for the Education category due to her leadership successes in the educational equity space during her time as a student at Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). This upcoming Fall 2021, she will be attending the Harvard Graduate School of Education to receive her Ed.M. in Education Policy and Analysis.
As a CHCI Intern, Maria strives to lead from her Afro-Latina identity and advocate for legislative policies that redistribute resources to the Latinx community through a culturally competent, trauma-informed, and equitable approach.
