比安卡克鲁兹

Name of the Internship/Opportunity (and its benefits):

The Panetta Congressional Internship: One student, out of a pool of 加州大学洛杉矶分校 student nominees, is selected to represent the university through an all-expenses-paid three-month internship in Washington, D.C., on behalf of the Panetta Institute at CSU Monterey Bay. 学生 gain first-hand experience and work in the office of a congressperson within the U.S. 众议院. The intern takes part in how Congress operates, as well as seeing what happens in a congressperson's office.

你未来的职业目标是什么?

在不久的将来, 我打算上法学院, where I hope to concentrate on immigration and civil rights. My long-term goals are to open a foundation where I can use all my life’s experience to help out my community and create positive change.

What motivated you to apply, and what were some of the challenges while using it?

In light of what was currently happening in our nation, most prominently the State of Minnesota v. 德里克·迈克尔·肖文案, I wanted to better understand what “justice” looks like in our nation's legal system. 辅修社会学, I had for some time been learning what law looks like in real life versus what’s written on paper. My growing interest in political institutions' actions in real life due to both the influence of professors and current events was the primary motivator for my application, 还有我想成为律师的兴趣.

描述你实习中典型的一天. 你学到了什么技能? 难忘的/有挑战性的经历?

What was unique about the internship was that every U.S. Representative has their own set of office policies. 由于COVID-19大流行, many offices worked remotely; however, 我有幸亲自工作. 不像项目里的其他实习生, 我的办公室让我做他们的新闻实习生, 这是一个非常独特而又激动人心的事件. 作为一名新闻实习生, I worked closely with the press team to research current 国家 and global events to produce content that could better inform our office and constituents. 我的职责包括为视频起草脚本, 奖演讲, and floor speeches on legislation that Congresswoman Brownley authored or co-sponsored. In addition, I drafted social media posts and toolkits relating to key legislation or breaking news. 我热爱我的职责, and I would say the most surprising aspect of working for the Congresswoman was how amazing the Brownley team was. Although every team member is a professional in their field, they were all down to earth. They truly were a great team, and I feel fortunate to have worked for them. The most memorable experience I had was being able to attend hearings on the steps of the 众议院. It was exciting to be 20 feet away from some of our nation's most prominent leaders, 包括南希·佩洛西, 众议院民主党领袖霍耶, 凯文·麦卡锡, 查克•舒默(charles Schumer), 米奇·麦康奈尔.

What advice would you give to future applicants for this internship/opportunity?

I think the most important aspect of the entire application is to be your genuine self. The Panetta Institute is filled with many highly qualified professionals in their field that are extremely humble. Humility is a very important quality to have and will help any candidate go very far in the process, whether applying or working for your representative's office. 学生 tend to get very nervous about the entire process, 虽然这看起来很可怕, it is important to remember everyone in the process wants the best for you. 没有必要紧张. In addition, don’t be discouraged if you are not a political science major. Although many of the applicants and selected students are poli-sci majors, this program is genuinely for anyone who wants to deepen their interest in politics and leadership.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I had the fortune to come from a really supportive family who helped me financially, which gave me the opportunity to graduate with my B.A. 在20岁的短短三年里. I had applied to 加州大学洛杉矶分校 thinking I would be a Chicano/Chicana studies professor but many of the professors I had sparked a passion for a better understanding of politics. 例如, I recently took an LGBTQ political history class with Professor Thomas Alvarez, 他的讲座非常精彩. He deepened my passion for learning more about civil rights and hopefully concentrating on civil rights as a future law student.

Any other information you would like to mention or include that wasn’t asked here:

The most important thing I took away from this experience was the friends I made in D.C. 尽管每个方面都非常有趣, I would advise anyone in the program to have fun and make genuine connections with others. Being away from your home for three months can be extremely challenging, and your friendships are what help you not feel homesick. 从长远来看, your fellow students are the ones who are going to help you out the most, and you all are going to be going through similar issues.

Contact NISFEP to find out how to apply and be considered for the Panetta Congressional Internship
有关该计划的更多信息: http://www.panettainstitute.org/programs/study-with-us/congressional-intern-training/