Hispanic congressional staff institute honors alumna with namesake scholarship

The Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) Alumni Association on Friday will announce a new scholarship program, named after Wendy K. Martínez, a CHLI alumna who was murdered in Washington, D.C., in 2018.

The group’s alumni will grant two $300 Wendy K. Martínez scholarships to Alejandro Alba and Aaron Arriaga, two CHLI alumni who are currently enrolled in higher education.

“​​CHLI is not just about what our interns accomplish during their internships with us. What happens after they leave is just as important. The CHLI Alumni Association supports our alumni by providing ways for them to grow academically and professionally,” said former Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.), the group’s chairman.

CHLI is a nonpartisan group sponsored by members of Congress from both sides of the aisle that helps develop Hispanic political talent through internships and other programs.

The organization regularly places interns in congressional offices, with the aim of helping young Hispanic professionals learn the ropes of legislative politics.

“A CHLI intern’s experience, connections, and network should provide lifelong value,” said Keith Fernandez, the president of the CHLI Alumni Association, which developed the scholarship program.

Martínez, the program’s namesake, was the daughter of Nicaraguan immigrants who graduated with a master’s degree from Georgetown and worked at several international institutions in Washington and as an intern at the United States Agency for International Development in Bogotá, Colombia.

Martínez was murdered while jogging in Washington in 2018, in a crime that shocked the CHLI community. 

The CHLI Alumni Association scholarship joins the Wendy Martínez Legacy Project, a program set up by Martínez’s family and friends, as a new program to honor her memory.

“Establishing a permanent scholarship to help with educational expenses serves our mission to empower alumni across the country and honors the memory of one of our own,” said Fernández, adding that the group is looking to grow the scholarship program.

Arriaga and Alba, the scholarship recipients, said the scholarship would help them offset the rising cost of living.

“This scholarship will help me offset my monthly expenses and give me some breathing room,” said Alba.