Running Out of Time

Celebrating and Hustling

Monday, July 21, 2025 - Thursday, July 24, 2025

For CHCI programming, we visited the Government Accountability Office (GAO), where we learned about the steps involved in researching topics requested by Congress. While I understand Congress fairly well, I was not very familiar with the roles of other federal agencies in government, so this was an interesting experience. I absolutely love and appreciate all the work GAO is doing.

On Tuesday, the HEP/CAMP interns and a few directors from across the country gathered in the morning to prepare for lobbying on the Hill. At first, I was extremely nervous because this wasn’t just another assignment. Visiting offices to help unfreeze funding for HEP/CAMP could significantly impact students' ability to attend college and determine whether these programs would shut down for the year. However, after a few office visits, I gained more confidence in myself and my story. We continued to lobby until Thursday, and I think everyone did an amazing job lobbying. I am so proud of everyone who helped.

HEP/CAMP Graduation Selfie!

That night, CHCI held our Congressional Internship Program graduation. I felt proud of everyone for completing the program, especially Kathrine, another CHCI intern, for her heartwarming graduation speech. I was also excited to see another HEP/CAMP intern, William, highlighted by the representative he worked for. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for everyone.

Throughout the rest of the week, I did a bunch of side quests. Angel and I visited the Library of Congress after lobbying, where we got library cards and toured one of the study rooms. It was so aesthetic I felt like I was in a movie! I also had lunch with my senator and took professional photos with all the interns in my office. It was wonderful to engage with my Senator and learn more about her story. Later in the week, I had my big presentation where we needed to convince the Senator to co-sponsor a bill. Although it definitely felt like I was in an episode of "Shark Tank," my colleagues said I did pretty well. It was empowering to advocate for my farm-working community and to have my ideas heard. I'm grateful to all the staff who supported me with this project.

On Thursday night, all the HEP/CAMP interns and the directors who came to assist with lobbying celebrated our week with a lovely dinner. It was both fun and sentimental, considering it would be the last time we saw Patrick, our amazing mentor throughout this entire internship. I was thrilled to meet the directors from across the country, and I am proud of their dedication to saving this program. This effort demonstrates a true commitment to providing a future for farm-working students. Thank you all for making this journey possible.

The Last Weekend

Friday, July 25, 2025 - Sunday, July 27, 2025

After work on Friday, the interns in my office and I went out for our last hangout at Talking Tacos. The food was amazing, and I’m so grateful I had the chance to spend time with my fellow interns one last time before heading out. I will forever be proud of my team. The rest of the weekend consisted of a lot of shopping! I think I went to the mall three times in one weekend! All of CHCI and HEP/CAMP hung out together as well, whether it was casual conversations, dance parties, playing board games, or doing karaoke. We aimed to make our last weekend the best it could be. On Sunday, a few of us from HEP/CAMP and CHCI got tickets to see 3ballMTY at a concert. It was definitely outside of my comfort zone since I am more of a local band and coffee shop type of girl, but I still had a lot of fun with all my friends.