Name: Gizel Gomez
Date(s): 07/15/24-07/21/24
Tuesday & Wednesday: 07/16/24-07/17/24
Annual Director's Meeting
After prepping for weeks, the Annual Director's Meeting (ADM) was finally happening. It was a very hectic morning because we had to get everyone through security and go up and down the elevator to escort them. The day started with the new directors and somewhat of an orientation for them to begin their program. Different panelists were talking about the programs they run, some challenges they faced, and how to overcome them. During that time, I was monitoring the online meeting for those who joined virtually. Also, I was mentally preparing to speak in front of everyone later that day. Soon it was lunch and I went out with my CAMP director, Ivan, and a couple of other people from New Mexico. We went to a place nearby, got food, and chatted about the internship and what I'd been doing over the weeks. The second half of the day was for all directors, so more people arrived after lunch. There were a couple of sessions before it was my turn to go on stage and share my story. My part was towards the end, but it happened so fast, that all of a sudden it was my turn. Ivan introduced me, and then I went up to share what I'd been preparing all of last week. I tried my best to take my time and look up at the audience, but I was super nervous. Thankfully, I was able to make the audience laugh, and before I knew it, I was done. It felt amazing, and I kept getting compliments from people saying I'd done great.
Wednesday started earlier than usual, I arrived at the location before 8 AM. Once again, we had to get everyone through security and go up and down the elevator escorting them, but it was easier since they all had name tags from the day before. The first part of the day, mostly, involved guest speakers and interns. Unfortunately, I missed the first couple of guest speakers because I was downstairs waiting for more people to arrive and take them upstairs. Once I finished, it was time for all of us interns to go on stage and share our internship experience. All of us had 3 minutes to share our stories and give the people a perspective of what we've been doing. Even though I had already spoken the day before, I was still a bit nervous when it was my turn. However, I did realize that if you make the audience laugh before you begin your speech, it makes everything so much better. Once that was over, the meeting for the directors continued, and I was back online monitoring the virtual attendees. After the meeting ended, the directors left and the Office of Migrant Education (OME) staff stayed back to talk and set up for the next day. I finally left and headed to Chinatown, where all the interns were meeting for dinner with the directors who read and reviewed our applications. Dinner was great, we were able to meet more people from the HEP/CAMP Association and just talk to them.
Thursday & Friday: 07/18/24-07/19/24
Not 1 but 2 Virtual Days?
Thursday was the last day of the ADM, and I was supposed to go with my program to the Hill to visit the people in Congress. The day started the same, all the staff were downstairs getting everyone through security and taking them up to the auditorium. The first meetings were about data and analytics, and I was just doing my virtual monitoring again. All was going great until I got some unexpected "technical difficulty" news that I had to tell my supervisor about, and she sent me home. I just left and came back to the dorms, but that didn't mean I was done for the day. Even though I had been sent home, I still had to join the meeting virtually and continue what I was doing. After the meeting ended I was supposed to join my program and go to the Hill, but it was not possible anymore, so I just stayed back and slept.
After almost an entire week working with OME, I was back working with the White House Hispanic Initiative (WHHI) on Friday. It was only about half of the day because in the morning we were invited to the White House for a meeting. A couple of the interns and I met up with Irene Bueno and two others from the HEP/CAMP Association, at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. We were there to meet with Jessica Cardichon and talk about the impact of HEP and CAMP. It was a unique experience to be able to talk to someone in the White House about our agricultural background and how our program was beneficial to us. Not only did we share the importance of the program, but we also expressed areas of improvement and outreach suggestions. Once that was over, I had lunch to attend with the President and CEO of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), Marco Davis. It was a group of CHCI interns, and we all met at the National Democratic Club for a free fancy lunch. Everything was great, we got to ask him questions about his previous jobs, and he provided us with tips on how to stay relevant to our supervisors once we leave. After all that was done, I had to return to work, I was working from home due to the "technical difficulty" that happened on Thursday. I only worked a few hours before it was 5 PM and time to log off. Joan had tickets to go meet the DC United Soccer Team, so after work, some of us went to the Audi Field for the meet and greet. None of us knew any of the players, but we still made sure to take pictures and get their autographs just in case!
Weekend: 07/20/24-07/21/24
Continued Sightseeing and Volunteering
On Saturday we continued exploring and visiting new places, so we went to the Old Post Office. Our goal was to go to the clock tower and see the city from up there, but to our luck, the elevators were down so it was closed. After not knowing what to do, we ended up at the Jefferson Library of Congress. The building is amazing from both outside and inside, the art within it is shocking. Every room tells a story, and we even made it to the book area, where Jefferson's books are located. We left after a while and went to Hill Country to try out the food that Cindy recommended. Honestly, the food was so good and the mac & cheese was top-tier.
We had previously done 3 hours of community service and on Sunday we finished the other 3 hours. Most of the CHCI cohort signed up to volunteer at the Afro-Latino Festival, and my group was the first one to go. We had to wake up pretty early and catch an Uber to Maryland, where the event was happening. There was no one there since we were the set-up crew, so we met with the host and began to measure the booth area. We had simple tasks, just writing vendor names, and taking them to their assigned location. Unfortunately, we missed the actual festival because it was starting in the afternoon, and we were only there until 10 AM. Luckily enough, we found a great Mexican restaurant nearby and had to get something. My entire time in DC, I've struggled to find good Mexican food, but this place was most definitely acceptable.
Comments