Sunday, June 24, 2024
This morning when I woke up, Bryan and I made our shopping list to go to Walmart and buy groceries for the week. While at Walmart we decided to get Panda Express once we returned to our room. When we got back to the room, we put our groceries in the fridge and left for Panda Express but were disappointed upon arrival as it was closed. We ended up going to McDonald's instead and later played volleyball with the CHCI Interns.
Monday, June 25, 2024
Today like every Monday we went to the George Washington Center for our regularly scheduled CHCI programming. Breakfast was not provided this morning, so we did not have to be there as early. We started the day like always with a check-in activity with Cristian. Once we wrapped up our check-in activity, we broke for lunch which was provided. The most enjoyable part of programming today was when Pamela shared information about resume and cover letter build-up, and how to prepare for an interview. I enjoyed those topics the most because it is going to be a skill that I will need for the future for myself and to also help others. After programing we all went to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner to celebrate the birthday of CHCI intern Lara.
Tuesday, June 26, 2024
When I arrived at work, I attended the intern check-in and while there a new intern who will be working under my supervisor Dr. Mike arrived. I went downstairs to check her in and help her introduce herself to the other interns. Once the intern check-in was over, we went down to the Whitten Patio for a program that the USDA was holding for all interns. It was informative and amazing to see the number of interns the USDA holds in headquarters and across the various states. We had a moment for lunch, so I and some other interns went for lunch we were able to share our experiences so far with our internships. We later went back to the patio to listen to the afternoon sessions where we could hear from the Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. It was an amazing opportunity to listen to him speak about his life and the answers he had for interns who asked him questions about the agriculture industry and how to be successful.
Wednesday, June 27, 2024
Today was a long and busy day for me. As soon as I got to work, I went for the intern check-in we have every day at 9 AM. After the check-in, I and the other interns from OPPE went for some coffee and got to know the newest intern Emani better. Later we went back to our office and we finished creating nametags after receiving the finalized list of attendees. At lunchtime, we all went to the south building for free BBQ plates. Once we got our plates, we attended the bag luncheon we have every Wednesday where we can hear from USDA employee's stories on their career journey and how it brought them to work for the USDA. Today we were able to hear from Joyce from the communications team at the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement (OPPE). Later in the evening, I was given the honor of helping in the CAPAL event at the USDA--it was amazing and inspiring to see the diversity that exists in leadership positions across the United States.
Thursday, June 28, 2024
Today was another long day of work. After arriving at work, I went to the daily intern check-in. Later in the day, I completed various tasks that were given to me. After work, I went to the CHCI intern social and was able to enjoy good tacos, aguas frescas, and paletas. I was able to meet other interns who are interning at the USDA and was able to invite them to our morning intern check-ins. When the event was over, I helped Esmeralda and her colleague pick up the food from Panda Express for the presidential debate watch party that the United Farmworker Foundation (UFW) had invited the interns to. It was a great time seeing the representatives from both parties answer questions on issues in the United States.
Friday, June 29, 2024
Friday is finally here! When I woke up, I got ready and set up my computer to join a virtual meeting. After my meeting, Emani and I set up a separate meeting to discuss her tasks which were to know what OPPE does and the USDA missions. After the end of this meeting, I was off for the rest of the day. In the evening Bryan, Cindy, her colleague, and I went to the Kennedy Center to watch the Ratatouille movie. Once the movie was over we explored the Kennedy Center more--it was an amazing building!
