Part One: Week Four Internship Selfie
Confidence
Part Two: POL Preparation
I think one of the best parts about being in a professional environment was observing the type of qualities and characteristics that people have that have helped them be successful. My mentor, Francine Maigue, is one person who I know I can learn so much from, and I am extremely grateful for her having been my mentor during this incredible. One of the most powerful qualities I think I observed in her that I want to recreate in myself is presenting yourself in a professional and educated way while still making yourself completely approachable. I think that is something that should help me in the future when I reach a working environment in college and beyond, that can greatly improve how I am able to work with others. Marco Briones and Martin Hernandez, my two coworkers that I spent the most time with, really challenged me to think about my arguments about certain bills and propositions from different perspectives, but they did it in a way that did not imply that my reasoning was wrong or that the other side's argument was the right one, and I am incredibly grateful to them for that. It is a skill that I have been practicing and improving throughout my career at HTH, and seeing it in the real world was very powerful and transformative. Lucas O'Connor, another one of my colleagues from the office, is the kind of worker that I hope to be one day, and his work ethic was so spectacular that it inspired me to do better and work harder. In that sense, he lead by example, and that is something that I try to do and will continue to do. Last, but not least, Aida Castaneda, the final coworker from the office, showed me that if you are passionate about something, you shouldn't hide it. Let it show in your work and in your speech, and then people will respect and listen to you more.
The people I worked with, along with the incredible experience, changed my views about several things, particularly in how I think about government. Before my internship, anyone that spoke to me could tell you about how quick I was to criticize the government in taking too long for everything, and being so incredibly inefficient. Now that I have seen all that it takes to build support for and pass a bill in state government, I have a lot more understanding and empathy for our political system. Now, I have seen the process from both the perspectives of a voter and a lawmaker, and I think understanding the distinctions between the points of views of the two gives you a much broader sense about lawmaking. In no way am I saying that I think our government is without flaw, or that our lawmaking system is perfect, I am just saying that I have now seen then other side of the equation. I think that will only make my critique of our government system stronger, because I have now lived both aspects of the system.
My internship also helped me realize that I would love holding public office, and it is something that I think I would be really good at. I would see the Assemblywoman's schedule, and witness what her typical day looked like, and I know that I would love it. There is never a "day off,' and 9:00-5:00 is just how long you're paid, not how much you actually work. I love the type of work that can never be completed in just the time allotted, that requires constant debate, collaboration, and all nighters that cause you to pull your hair out and run out of coffee. My interests are still in virology, aerospace engineering, or nuclear physics, but this internship reaffirmed by belief that one day I would like to hold a public office.
The people I worked with, along with the incredible experience, changed my views about several things, particularly in how I think about government. Before my internship, anyone that spoke to me could tell you about how quick I was to criticize the government in taking too long for everything, and being so incredibly inefficient. Now that I have seen all that it takes to build support for and pass a bill in state government, I have a lot more understanding and empathy for our political system. Now, I have seen the process from both the perspectives of a voter and a lawmaker, and I think understanding the distinctions between the points of views of the two gives you a much broader sense about lawmaking. In no way am I saying that I think our government is without flaw, or that our lawmaking system is perfect, I am just saying that I have now seen then other side of the equation. I think that will only make my critique of our government system stronger, because I have now lived both aspects of the system.
My internship also helped me realize that I would love holding public office, and it is something that I think I would be really good at. I would see the Assemblywoman's schedule, and witness what her typical day looked like, and I know that I would love it. There is never a "day off,' and 9:00-5:00 is just how long you're paid, not how much you actually work. I love the type of work that can never be completed in just the time allotted, that requires constant debate, collaboration, and all nighters that cause you to pull your hair out and run out of coffee. My interests are still in virology, aerospace engineering, or nuclear physics, but this internship reaffirmed by belief that one day I would like to hold a public office.