FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA (Fairfax County Times) — Anna Devine and Taylor Lavender, both of McLean, and Dabash Negash of Chantilly are interning at The White House this fall, according to a Sept. 4 press release.

Dabash Negash is a native of Ethiopia.

Overall, 112 college students were chosen to serve as interns. Devine is a student at Brown University, Lavender attends the University of Virginia and Negash is enrolled at the University of Mary Washington. The internship program is designed to make the “People’s House” accessible to future leaders and to cultivate those devoted to public service for leadership opportunities, the release said.

“I applaud and thank these young men and women for answering the call to service,” President Barack Obama said in a statement. “I look forward to working with them, and commend all those who applied for their desire to build a brighter future for our country.”

Interns work in one of many White House departments, including the Office of Cabinet Affairs, the Office of the Chief of Staff, the Office of Scheduling and Advance, the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, the Office of Health Reform, the Office of Legislative Affairs, the Office of Management and Administration, the Office of the White House Counsel, the Office of Political Affairs, the Office of Energy and Climate Change, the National Economic Council, the Office of Presidential Correspondence, the Office of Presidential Personnel, the Communications Department, the Domestic Policy Council, the Office of the First Lady and the Office of the Vice President.

For more, visit www.whitehouse.gov/about/internships/. The application for the spring 2010 program is now on the Web site; the deadline is Sunday.

Military honors

Army National Guard Pfc. Andrew R. Reilly, son of Suk Reilly of Burke, has graduated from nine weeks of basic infantry training at Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga. Reilly is a 2008 graduate of Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke.

Air Force Airman Joshua D. Gamble, son of Kelly-Anne Gamble of Springfield, has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Airmen who complete the eight weeks of basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.

Holmes chosen to investigate legal field

Marissa Holmes of Vienna, a sophomore at McLean High School, has been selected to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum on Law and Crime Scene Investigation, which will run Nov. 3-8 in Washington, D.C. The 15-year-old will be one of 400 students representing high schools across the country.

Marissa will have the chance to explore her interest in forensics by learning directly from partners at law firms, criminal defense attorneys and prosecutors, professors and other legal experts. She and fellow forum participants will visit area law schools, as well as local and federal courtrooms, and the U.S. Supreme Court.