Results/What's next?

Monday

There are pros and cons to anything, obviously, but definitely some of the pros of being independent, away from home, is that I choose my groceries and what I eat. I don't mean to brag, but I’d say I've become quite the sandwich connoisseur. I have made pastas, Mexican dishes, and desserts, but nothing compares to my Deluxe BLT. I’m only taking time to mention this because I feel it's only fair if you try it as well. All you need is: 2 pieces of bacon, sliced in half, lettuce, tomatoes, toasted bread, avocado, feta cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder all to your liking, and pickles to your liking. What comes out of it is this delicious blend of flavors that do nothing but complement each other. 

Now that I got that off my chest, this week was full of receiving results and plans for the upcoming weeks. Something about my time here in DC has made me an adamant user of Google Calendar because of how useful and amazing it actually is. I feel like I have gotten a much better understanding of the type of worker I am and the type of work I want to do. On Thursday, I had a scheduled meeting with Virginia and Pat, they checked up on us and asked us to free our calendars for the week of 22nd-24th. After that meeting, Angel and I were still in the office and didn't end up leaving till around 12:40 AM. Most of the time we were doing work, but we also got sidetracked by conversations with our amazing boss, Dr. Ray Serrano. Who is truly such a wise man with so much knowledge and a strong work ethic. Through conversation with him, I've been able to understand how Ray works and how he views certain topics. He’s been nothing but an inspiration to see how much he contributes to this organization and us at the same time.

Each week has gone by faster and faster, it’s hard to keep track of how many days we have left. Thankfully, that also means that the work that I completed at the beginning of my internship is getting returned to me with results. One of the first projects I was assigned at LULAC was a comment letter for the removal of Disparate Impact in the Department of Energy (DOE).  It was introduced as a Direct Final Rule (DFR), which would’ve started at the DOE and if they would’ve gotten away with it, the administration would’ve continued the rollback at other agencies. Thanks to our amazing boss who gave the call to action, I, alongside my team of 3 nerds, gathered, created letters, templates, and slide decks which were used to inform people on what is Disparate Impact and how the removal of it would affect a lot of us. Anyways, on 7/11 National Slushie Day, we got the news that thanks to our push, the administration blinked and was left to review all the comment letters, putting them on pause. They thought no one would bat an eye; little did they know we keep a close eye on any legislation, DFR’s, or policies being introduced. As a way to celebrate, the whole LULAC office went out to get slushies, which were free and delicious. Looking back at these pictures just reminds me that this experience won’t be forever and the time I have with the amazing people around me is very limited. 

Later that same day, most of the HEP CAMP interns went out to eat at a hot pot restaurant, which was really delicious and very filling. We laughed, shared about our day, and planned for the weeks coming up ahead. It was also very refreshing to all go out together because it reminds me of my family and how big we are when we all go out, in total it’s 7 of us and that was the same # of people who went out to eat. 

Saturday

Saturday was a volunteer day, which was actually much nicer than I would’ve expected.  Back home, when it comes down to volunteering, depending on what the activity is, you don’t get much of a turnout. But with MoCo IRC ‘know your rights’ canvassing, we not only had a full room but also the Mayor of the town we were canvassing. I think that was truly such a surreal experience for me because I thought my community organizing back home was well put together, but MoCo IRC puts my community to shame. At my campus back home, I did a ‘know your rights’ session with about 15 people or so, which is what I expected, but my group of canvassers alone was 9. We went to a shopping center with other shopping malls nearby and conversed/ handed out over 150 cards. It felt so rewarding because most of the people we interacted with were actually engaging and you could see their whole demeanor change when we talked to them. D.C. surprises me each day more and more; everyone is so kind, community-driven, and willing to speak out for their community. This is definitely something I want to take back with me and create back home. Truly seeing so many people volunteer at a singular place that isn’t a food drive was so amazing, and not only that, but it empowers the heck out of your community. I can’t wait to see what the next upcoming weeks are going to look like.