Monday 6/17: Today I woke up and thought it would be a good idea to go on a run. After programming, I put my running shoes on and headed out to enjoy the beautiful sun. After being in DC for four weeks now I've come to love the city. The weather (although this week is very hot) is beautiful, the people are very welcoming, and the scenery is amazing. I ran like two miles today and although it felt like I was running for a whileeee, it was great! Here is where I will start my running journey.
Tuesday: After practicing all last week the day was finally here. Today I headed to Capitol Hill where I was meeting with congressional staff and sharing with them my story. As a group, my coworkers and I headed to Capitol Hill to share our opinions on the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness Prevention Act of 2023, a bill the United Farm Workers has been trying to pass since 2005. This bill will ensure that all farmworkers across the nation will have the right to sufficient break time, water, and shade throughout their work days. As passionate as I am about farm workers due to my agricultural background, I was thrilled to voice my story and fight for the rights of farmworkers. All the meetings I had today went great! I'm hoping that with sufficient time and dedication this bill will receive the attention it deserves.
After my workday I had the honor to meet Teresa Romero, president of the United Farm Workers. We both attended an event that focused on DACA recipients and current news that president Biden shared on live television. Meeting Teresa was amazing, she's super nice and as always, very empowering. While at the event I was able to meet amazing individuals, Teresa was very nice and took me under her wing. In this moment, I felt proud to have someone like her leading a group of individuals who have been through so much but are understood by someone like her. After filling ourselves with amazing food, we parted ways but I'll never forget this moment. ¡Si se puede! "You are capable of becoming anything you want, we need more representation so never give up" -Teresa Romero
Thursday 6/20: Today I had the honor of being the only student representative at the Pell Grant's 50th anniversary hearing. As a first-gen college student, Hispanic woman, and 19 year old it was a pleasure and honor being invited to such event. The Pell Grant is a federally funded grant that allows many underrepresented undergraduate students to attend college worry free (to some extent). As a Pell Grant recipient I am happy to say that I have been fortunate enough to not have to worry about my tuition being paid. However, I'm aware that there are many who can't say the same. Today I used this opportunity to voice just that; I voiced the need that other students who attend high tuition schools, who are neither categorized as higher nor lower income, and whose parents don't contribute to their education. I made it my goal to make sure that the people in power who can make a change hear my voice and the voice of many students who are interrupted by the thought of paying for their education instead of being able focus on receiving an education. With everything I learned today I'm really hoping that the Pell Grant continues to improve and help students who really need it.
Saturday 6/22: Today I didn't have much planned however, the day had different plans for me. For the first time, I went out and discovered what DC looks like at night. The view of the Capitol and the Washington Monument was amazing! Some friends and I decided we wanted to join other Latine community members to a reggaeton music event in the National Museum of American History. Today most museums were open until midnight in celebration of "Solstice Saturday" which marks the official beginning of summer. In DC you'll come to find a lot of wonderful events and although I wasn't sure about going I had a lot of fun. I was able to hear music that I resonate with and it was great to see how Latine culture is alive in DC.