Stephanie Cuevas, senior vice president of federal advocacy for California’s Credit Unions and Nevada’s Credit Unions, discussed a new initiative during a recent CU Broadcast interview at REACH 2025: a $1 million endowment to support the California State University DC Scholars Program.
The initiative is designed to address the financial barrier faced by students seeking policy experience in Washington, D.C. — and to ultimately inject credit union advocates into the political talent pipeline.
“Not all interns become congressional staff, but almost all congressional staff were an intern,” Cuevas said, emphasizing the importance of these entry-level positions.
The $1 million endowment will create up to 14 annual scholarships, each valued at $2,500, directly offsetting the high cost of living in Washington, D.C. for Cal State University students. Cuevas said approximately 73 percent of the program’s participants are first-generation college students.
This endowment is a strategic investment in the future of federal policy, ensuring talented individuals with a positive view of credit unions hold key positions. Cuevas, who started her own career as a congressional and White House intern years ago, is a testament to the program’s potential.
The partnership with the CSU system is key, as it provides access to students from 23 campuses across the state. This allows participating credit unions to connect with students from their local service areas — those who could potentially become future government affairs staffers for the credit union movement.
Cuevas talked about the success of a similar program in Utah, where nearly all senior staff in a meeting with credit union leaders had previously received a credit union-funded scholarship.
The California and Nevada leagues are asking credit unions to contribute to the fund, with a goal of receiving donations by February 1, 2026, to officially launch the scholarship program at the Governmental
Affairs Conference (GAC) and begin issuing scholarships as early as next year.
