Rebecca Helen Stokes, 40, died May 3, 2008, in Kiowa, Okla. Born Rebecca Helen Searle in Kelso, Wash., on Jan. 14, 1968, she attended Stella Mayfield school in Elgin, Ore., and Schoenbar Middle School in Ketchikan, where she lived from 1981 to 1986.

Marguerite C. "Peg" Jacobson, 89, died April 17, 2008, in Ketchikan.

Clifford "Chegan" John Durgan, 82, died April 20, 2008, in Sitka.

There are so many wonderful opportunities available for Alaska youth, and among them are the annual summer internship programs offered by our state's elected representatives in Washington, D.C.

Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, recently announced that his office will accept internship applications from now through April 15. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, will accept applications from high school seniors through April 14, and from college students through April 11, according to her Web site.

Graduating high school students in Alaska as well as college students who are Alaska residents are eligible for the internships.

Those lucky enough to be chosen work with the representative's staff in Washington, D.C., for a month or more during the summer. During that time, the students get an up-close look at how our national government runs. Some of their day-to-day duties will include monitoring committee hearings on the Hill, conducting research, answering telephones, filing paperwork and carrying messages to the Senate floor or to committee offices.

Interns are paid a stipend, but are responsible for living expenses. High school students must live in student housing at George Washington University, while college-age interns can stay at the college or make their own housing arrangements, according to Stevens' office.

A summer in Washington, D.C., is an amazing experience, especially for a young mind just starting to explore important social and political issues. We encourage interested young Alaskans to fill out the applications and take advantage of this great opportunity while they still can.

Applications are available online at http://stevens.senate.gov for Sen. Stevens' office; and http://murkowski.senate.gov for Sen. Murkowski's office.

Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, also offers a summer internship program, but a deadline for applications has not been announced. More details as well as applications for Young's internship program are available at http://donyoung.house.gov, under the "At Your Service" link.