06.17.2024 Reunion and Speeches
Wednesday was a huge day for all of the HEP/CAMP interns. After much preparation, today we had the opportunity to attend the HEP/CAMP Annual Directors Meeting! Early in the morning, with our printed speeches, we went over to the Department of Education to meet the OME staff and reunite with our directors. After many hugs and handshakes, I finally got to see the MSU staff again. We took a ton of pictures, laughed with Luis, and enjoyed being in a room with so many people whose job it is to uplift migrant farmworker students. My speech went really well, according to my directors, and I got to hear other inspiring stories.
Afterwards, I went back to work for a couple hours before Elias invited all of the MSU students to tour the Department of Education. We were welcomed by an MSU CAMP alumni that works for Secretary Cardona. She gave us the opportunity to meet other staff and see his personal office and conference room. One cool thing was that I got to sit in Secretary Cardona’s chair and see the views from his huge office. Overall, it was a really cool experience and a great connection to have. We then went straight to dinner at a restaurant called Cane. It was so delicious. I had seen it before but had no idea the food was going to be amazing. We basically ordered the entire menu and ate family-style. We enjoyed all of the dishes while we caught up and joked around for a couple hours. It was great to be in each other's presence. I truly missed being surrounded by our CAMP staff.
06.18.2024 Tours and Great Company
On Thursday, I went straight to work because it was going to be a busy, fun day. I sat in a meeting on violence in Mexico, where I learned more about the specific person's case and their path to shed light on the injustices inflicted on his family and community. My office, after the meeting, invited them to tour the capital. It was cool to be able to give them that experience for the first time. We got to leave a good impression on them and brought them a bit of hope. Afterwards, Matias and I headed over to the capitol crypt for a special dome tour!! We climbed over 300 steps between metal rods and grafted windows until we made it all the way to the top. It was so cool seeing the city from that point of view, and we got to take pictures and enjoy the fresh weather.
Once we came down, I headed over to meet with my directors for hill visits. It was a great opportunity to share my background and the impact that MSU has had on me. It was also interesting to be one of the people on the other side instead of being part of the policy team and asking questions. That afternoon, Perla and I joined Elias and Salvador for dinner at a barbeque place. It was also delicious. The smell of brisket and the overall vibe of the restaurant reminded me of home. We had a fun time, and after saying our goodbyes, we won't be seeing them until school starts. Perla and I headed over to get some boba. We walked by the white house and enjoyed the D.C. night.
06.19.2024 Executive Meetings
Friday was a packed day. We started off by heading over to the White House Executive Office to attend a meeting with the domestic policy team for the president. It was an opportunity for us to share our stories as migrant farmworker students and how the administration has helped us advance in our university education. We not only talked about our programs, but we also had the opportunity to give them policy recommendations that might be implemented and taken into consideration. We also got a tour of the executive office and took pictures by the navy steps. Afterwards, Gizel and I went on the metro to head over to the National Democratic Club, where we would be having lunch with Marco Davis, the CEO of CHCI. We were with the rest of the interns and had the opportunity to eat some good food and ask him questions about his journey to D.C. and accept any advice he has for us as young professional. After lunch, I headed to work and ended the day by walking by the white house and relaxing.
07.21.2024 Steps Galore
On Sunday, I woke up bright and early to go volunteer at the Afro-Latino festival in Silver Spring. Six of us signed up to do the 7 a.m. shift where we helped set up and measure where all of the vendors would be placed. I also helped direct the vendors and explored the cool things that each brought to sell. After our shift, we were starving, and Stephanie found a taqueria close by. I had an incredible torta de milanesa that was truly worth mentioning. Afterwards, we went home and rested. In the afternoon, I met up with Perla, and we explored both the national and sculpture galleries. Afterwards, we decided to finally visit the Jefferson Memorial. It had been on our list of places, yet we never went due to how hard it is to get there. In total, we walked over 10,000 steps and saw seven different monuments. The entire time, we kept telling ourselves it was a short walk, even though it was not. We basically walked the entire city, starting at the federal triangle and making it all the way to the Lincoln Memorial. We ended the day by watching the sunset by the Potomac River, enjoying the nice weather, and reflecting on how fast our internships had flown by.
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