How does leadership play a role in your internship? Are you able to demonstrate any leadership skills? How do your co-workers or supervisor display leadership capabilities?

Leadership plays a very important role within my internship. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus institute was actually created with the purpose to develop the next generation of Latino leaders. The vision was founded on three cornerstones for success: education attainment and college access, leadership development in D.C., and access to a powerful network of Latino leaders in the United States. Today, CHCI’s pillars are the following: Educate, Empower, And Connect. CHCI encourages each and every intern to demonstrate leadership not only within our office by taking initiative and advantage of the resources that are available to us, but, also to go back to out communities and empower those who need empowerment. In the office of Congressman Grijalva, I was always encouraged to demonstrate my leadership skills and to share my opinions and ideas. In regards to my co-workers each one has a different responsibility therefore, it is crucial that each one displays their own leadership capabilities. 

Congressman Grijalva and I at an office mixer. 

Selfie with Congressman Grijalva's Senior Policy Advisor 

A Conversation with the Press Secretary

During my time in the Office of Congressman Griljalva I was able to speak to Dan Lindner who is currently the Congressman’s Communications Director. The director of communications plays a key role in the organization as they support the work of the member of congress. In addition, they are the key component of creating communication strategies that will serve the organization. Their role also serves as the key spokesperson for the member of congress as well as the person who communicates with other media entities to bring more or less media attention to the issues that the member of congress agrees or disagrees on. Lindner studied political communication at American University in Washington D.C. He said he was always interested in a career in politics and media so being in his current position is something he always dreamed of. According to Lindner, one of the new trends in this field has been implemented social media. “Social media is a great tool being used to communicate with the public,” said Lindner.  Currently Congressman Raul Grijalva has a platform of social media tools he is using to engage more with the public. Personally, I have always been interested in a career in public relations, Spanish broadcast journalism, and communications. This office gave me an in-depth understanding of the role of governmental communications.

Receptions and More Receptions

During my time in Washington D.C I attended more than fifty receptions! Seriously, inside the capitol buildings there is always something going on that has to do with advocacy, food and alcohol.  After work I would go to at least one reception everyday sometimes even two receptions per day. Some of my favorite receptions were the Outback steak house reception, the taco bell reception and the National beer and wine association reception. As part of my internship one of my daily duties was to secure room requests for constituents who requested a room for an event or a reception. The struggle was real when it came to requesting rooms because people all over the U.S are competing for those rooms that are free to the public. There was days when I would spend all day submitting requests!

Volunteering with S.O.M.E

On Saturday some fellow classmates and me had the chance to volunteer with S.O.M.E (So Others Might Eat). The mission of this organization is to help the poor and homeless in the Nation’s Capital. S.O.M.E provides those in need with food, clothing, and health care. In addition, they help people get our of homelesness by offering services, such as affordable housing, job training, addiction treatment as well as counseling to those in need and those individuals with mental illnesses. We volunteered for about five hours and we were able to clean the front yard. We took out all the weeds from the garden and we planted new flowers. It was such a humbling experience because we were able to contribute to a great cause. As we were gardening we would see the amount of homeless individuals who showed up early to grab something to eat. When I first came to D.C it was quite shocking seeing the number of people that were homeless in our nation’s capital. Even when I walk through the most important governmental buildings, I would see homeless people sleeping in the ground or asking for money to grab something to eat. I am glad that during my time in this city I was able to contribute to a worthwhile cause. 

Career Services

As part of my internship each Friday we had a weekly “Friday programing”, which consisted of different speakers or activities that would promote self-growth.  This week our Friday programing consisted of “resume building with public policy fellows.” We were able to share our resumes with the public policy fellows so that they could critique and offer advice. In addition, we had the chance to mock interviews with the fellows as if we were interviewing for a governmental job. I was able to get constructive feedback regarding my resume. I sat down with Alex Sarbia, who is currently a public policy fellow interning under the administration of Julian Castro who is currently the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Alex was able to give me very constructive feedback on the changes that I need to make to my resume. As far as my interviewing skills I was able to sit down with Victor Mena who is also a public policy fellow. On my first round of mock interviews I did fantastic! I was answering the right questions and I was also asking the right questions. During my second mock interview I found myself having a harder time answering certain questions. Overall, this career-training service served me in many ways. 

White House Spring Garden Tour

During my time in Washington D.C I had the opportunity to tour the White House Garden. It was an incredible experience!

A Day In Annapolis, MD

Annapolis is the Capital of Maryland. It is also the home of the United States Naval Academy.