The Dominican-American National Roundtable (DANR) is pleased to announce that it has selected a group of six fellows to be a part of The DANR 2008 National Summer Youth Fellowship Program. The national fellowship program will introduce talented youth to the realms of policy and advocacy work at the national and local levels. The fellows will learn and be trained about one of our community's most pressing issue - immigration reform.

"We are proud of the youth we have selected and know the program will provide young people the tools necessary to succeed as they become the leaders of tomorrow - today!"

"We are extremely excited about the quality and enthusiasm of the young people we selected to be a part of this year's program. During this program we will provide leadership training to the next generation of Dominican leaders in the United States." said Victor Capellan, National President of the DANR. "This year's fellows will have the opportunity to learn about the inner works of our nation's Capital and take the acquired knowledge and apply it at the local level in their communities."

"We are proud of the youth we have selected and know the program will provide young people the tools necessary to succeed as they become the leaders of tomorrow - today!" said Amaris Guzman, Chair of the DANR Youth Initiative and Board Member from New York City.

The first week of this program, July 6, 2008 to July 12, 2008, will take place in Washington, DC. Fellows will obtain Immigration Advocacy Training through different workshops conducted by immigration experts. They will also learn how to raise and address community issues to elected officials, create a working strategy and organize the necessary team to have an impact. Fellows will have the opportunity to learn about their Dominican identity and how to become influential leaders in their communities.

On Monday July 14, 2008, Fellows will return to their communities and will be placed within a Dominican non-for-profit organization, where they will work with a mentor to design and implement immigration advocacy projects in their respective communities. Fellows will serve within their organizations from Monday July 14, 2008 until Friday August 1, 2008.

The 2008 DANR National Youth Fellows are:

Mr. Wilson Rosa New Jersey Fellow: a 19 year-old undergraduate student at Mt. St. Mary's College in Newburg, New York.

Mr. Jared Salcedo New York City Fellow: a 24 year-old graduate student at Queens College-CUNY in Queens, New York.

Ms. Carla Taveras New York City Fellow: a 21 year-old undergraduate student at New York University in New York City.

Ms. Licelot Altagracia-Cruz New York City Fellow: a 19 year-old undergraduate student at The College of St. Rose in Albany, NY.

Ms. Maria Hiciano Rhode Island Fellow: a 19 year-old undergraduate student at Rhode Island College in Providence, Rhode Island.

Ms. Jericka Fernandez Rhode Island Fellow: a 19 year old undergraduate student Elon University in Elon, North Carolina.

About the DANR
Established in 1997, The Dominican American National Roundtable is a non-profit and non-partisan organization whose mission is to advocate for the empowerment of Dominicans in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Territories. Based in Washington, DC, the DANR is the first and only national organization advocating on behalf of the over one million Dominican Americans in areas concerning education, health, economic development, immigration, and civic empowerment at the national level. The DANR National Conference is the only conference in the United States that brings together Dominicans from around the country under one roof for the purpose of community empowerment.
The DANR 11th Annual National Conference will take place October 10-12, 2008 in Providence, RI.