Anabella Flores

Week 1

I found myself lost in the airport. I was only able to

contact our coordinator, Patrick for a brief moment

before my phone died and I thought I had left my

charger at home. I walked around the airport for a

while and it wasn’t until I asked for help from one of

the security guards, that I found my way to the

others. Once settled into our rooms, we all went out

to dinner that night and I was able to get to know a

little bit about each one of the other interns. We

explored the city for a little while and we were

shown our worksites. On my first day of work, we

all boarded the train and everyone said goodbye and

I felt like one of those kids who had had been

dropped off on their first day of school by their

parents. One day, the other students had finished their

training soon and had taken off home, I asked Patrick

not to come back for me, that I would take the train on

my own and when he agreed, I felt like a baby chicken

being left loose and I was scared that I would get lost,

but I felt the need to take the train on my own. With

the help of a few kind strangers, I made it back to my

dorm safely.

Today my roommate and I decided to go food shopping. We decided to wing it and got on the

wrong metro and ended up on the wrong side of town a few blocks from Maryland. We ended up

waiting for a bus that doesn't run on Sundays and then walking in 95 degree weather and being

the smart person I am I decided to wear long sleeves and jeans (I know, I know). After half an

hour of walking, we made it to our destination. Once we were done shopping, we were greeted

with a rainstorm along with thunder/ lightning and everything! Our bag broke and we had to fit

the food in my backpack and she carried the rest. By the time we made it back to our dorm the

storm had escalated and we were soaked! The funny and awesome thing about this is that it was

a good day. We met some really nice people who helped us and I captured this picture before we

realized we were lost. Above all, it was a great first week in my new home.

Anabella – Week Three

My third week went by too fast. Interning

in Capitol Hill has provided a closer look

on national and global issues. Interns are

given the opportunity to attend meetings

regarding a topic they find interesting.

For example, this week I was able to

attend a briefing regarding the

Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the two

state solution. I find this resource great because

I’m able to hear different experts analyze the

situation which helps me understand the topic

more. Being in DC has allowed me to experience

firsthand the news and events that go on to affect

the nation. I am able to witness others work on

policies and new laws with the hopes of making a

difference.

Anabella Flores

Journal 4

Week four of my stay in DC was a week of

reflection. Congress was in recess so work was

slower which allowed me to get to know the

staffers and my coworkers better. Throughout

the week I was constantly asked: “Do you have

any questions? “Every time I was asked this

my mind went blank and I couldn’t come up

with any! Today, while sitting in the metro on

my way to Arlington I reflected back to the

past four weeks and realized that I haven’t

asked as many questions as I should. I’ve come

to learn a lot but I feel like I’m still not asking

enough questions. I started to reflect on what I

really want out of this internship. What do I

want to take back home with me? I want to be

able to go home and not only share the crazy

stories and great experiences but also be able

to say that I helped in some small way make a

difference in my community. This week I’ve

challenged myself to really get out of my

comfort zone, ask for more work, more

questions, and we’ll see the results next

week!*Although I was exhausted at the end of

the day, I challenged myself to visit/explore

different places a day However, the weather

did not cooperate and I did the best I could. I

was able to explore The MLK Memorial, the

Moon Gate Garden, the Arlington Cemetery,

and The Smithsonian National Zoological

Park.

Anabella Flores

Journal 4

Anabella Flores

Journal 5

Last week I had challenged myself to ask more questions

and ask for more work. On Monday when I arrived to

work I had that thought in the back of my mind when

someone came by and asked me if I wanted a project, I

automatically jumped and said yes! I was so glad and

when more staffers asked if I wanted a project I said yes.

Because I chose to accept the projects, I was introduced

to different issues I didn’t know about. The projects kept

me busy and because of that I

felt very accomplished. As my

time in DC is approaching to

an end, I’m realizing that I’m

really going to miss this city.

Anabella Flores

Journal 5

**This week, I was able to explore: The American Indian

Museum, the African Art museum, The Hishhorn

Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Freer Gallery of Art

Museum, United States Botanic Garden, Washington

Monument, National World War 2 Memorial and we

were so tired we just walked past the Lincoln

Memorial**

Anabella – Week 6

This week was a great week! Work was slow this

but it went by so fast! The annual Director’s

meeting was held in DC and I was able to attend the

workshops and help out with the presentations. I

was also able to meet other Directors from across

the U.S. and I thought that was really neat. I was

able to see my Director and tagged along on the

Capitol Hill visits. During the visit, I got to go into my

office and have a meeting with one of the Legislative

Assistants I work with and advocate for the CAMP

program. On the last day of the Director’s meeting,

all of the current interns and some of the old, went out for dinner with the Patrick and

the rest of the directors. After seeing my Director, I’ve realized how close home seems

and I’m starting to count down the days until I get to see all my wonderful friends and

Family. This week, I was able to go to the Holocaust Museum where I spent the entire

day to make sure I didn't miss a thing. I also went to the Air and Space Museum, the

National History Museum, and I took a tour of the Washington Monument.

Anabella Week #7

This week by far was eventful and very exciting. We were able to get a tour of the White

House and also meet with Roberto Rodriguez, Special Assistant to the President for

Education Policy and Julie Rodriguez, Deputy Director of the White House Office of

Public Engagement. At the meeting, the other interns and I were able to share our

stories with them and say what our future plans consist of. The interns bid our farewells

to Irene and her team, and that's when I realized that our days here in D.C are counted.

Thank you Irene for working with us!

We were also able to go to New York for the weekend and explored as much as we

could. We were lost most of the time but it was a great bonding experience. I learned so

much about my roommates and we also ate some delicious food! We visited Wall

Street...well walked around Wall Street, took a ferry to the Statue of Liberty, but we

didn't actually visit the statue. All of us went into the 911 Memorial Museum and

afterwards visited the new World Trade Center where the view was splendid! We hiked

to the Brooklyn Bridge but not before we explored Chinatown and enjoyed a little bit of

Central Park. All in all, New York was a great experience!

As my last week approaches, I'm starting to think about how far I have come. When I

first started my internship at Senator Merkley's office, I had no clue about what I was

supposed to be doing. I didn't know the first thing about politics. Well maybe just a little

but not enough. I've come to learn what an amazing opportunity this is! I got to travel

and learn new things, and never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine working for a

senator. The thought of sitting in an office, doing policy research, running to get the

signature of other representatives, reading & answering constituent mail, and living in

Washington D.C never crossed my mind. I'm just feeling so grateful for this opportunity.

Anabella – Week #8

This week I wrapped up projects from last week and focused on finishing up my

responsibilities. My worksite supervisor, had me look over my goals and reflect on

whether I achieved them or not. They included asking for work, asking questions, asking

for feedback, networking with other interns, and having several different informational

interviews. I attended a luncheon with Maria Echaveste, the former Deputy Chief of staff

of President Clinton and cofounder of NVG,LLC. Maria shared her migrant background

and her experience of being the first from her family to go to college, I was really

touched because I felt like she was someone who I can relate to. I asked her how she

dealt with the culture shock of being different from her classmates and she shared with

me instances where people tried to put her in a box but she didn’t allow that because

she knew her worth. I also attended the closing ceremony for NMSHSA at Microsoft

Innovation & Policy Center and I was able to witness the accomplishments of my fellow

interns. One of my goals was to have an informational interview with someone from the

Mexican Embassy so I asked around and one of the staff members connected me with

Arlene Alvarez. Arlene works for the Cultural Institute of Mexico, a branch from the

Embassy and she was willing to have coffee with me and answer questions. Arlene also

encouraged me to look into internships with the Department of State and offered to

connect me with someone who could give me more insight on what it’s like to work for

the Embassy. I met with different staffers all who offered to help me and asked me to

keep them updated throughout the school year. Well here it comes, the inevitable

goodbye. Four months ago, I never thought my summer would be spent the way it did. I

had the most beautiful and amazing experience. For the first few weeks, I felt homesick

and I was constantly missing my family but as time progressed, I adapted to this place

and called it my home. I want to thank my Director, Gianluigi Benvenutto who worked

extensively to get me funded and made sure I was well taken care of. To my sisters who

are my heroes for the never ending pep talks and encouragement, my friends from the

Career Center back home who always believed in my abilities and served as my

support system, thank you. To Patrick who was my go to person and who is constantly

checking up on us to see how we’re doing. Thank you to the

Association for the opportunity to be a part of this cohort.