I spent this last summer 2000 in Washington, DC as an intern with the Rosenberg-Humphrey Program in Public Policy at City College. I was placed with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) where I worked for two months. This was my first office job experience. Before this, I was a laborer, working in restaurants and supermarkets in the U.S., and in México as an agricultural worker.

I remember the first day at my job in Washington, DC. I was very nervous because I did not know what to expect. When I met my supervisor, Marisa, I introduced myself. Marisa was smiling and she took me to my office. She told me to sit down, and I sat in the chair across from the desk. But, Marisa told me to sit at the desk because it was my office. I felt very happy and also very nervous because I was not used to this kind of treatment.

Marisa explained my responsibilities to me. These were to read the newspapers every day and to look for articles that had to do with education, immigration rights, voting rights, and labor discrimination. She also told me that I would need to attend press conferences, meetings on Capitol Hill, and some academic conferences. I was instructed to gather information at the meetings and to write reports about the topics.

At MALDEF, we had a staff meeting every Friday. At these meetings all of us needed to report on our projects, and to exchange ideas. I never expected these types of activities. The environment was so new to me that everything seemed amazing. I do not have the right words to even describe what I felt. For example, at the first staff meeting I was so nervous that I don't even remember what I said, or if it even made any sense. However, the staff members were extremely supportive of me and they asked me questions about my background and my interests. This helped me to relax in the meeting. After this first experience I did better in the following meetings.

I enjoyed everything that I did at MALDEF. I especially liked attending the press conferences and other meetings because I enjoyed meeting other people and listening to the different points of view. For example, I had the opportunity to meet the Reverend Jesse Jackson, and Jonathan Kozol.

This internship gave me my first experience in being outside of New York City since I first came to the United States. I took the bus to Washington, DC and walked to the dormitory. When I was in the lobby of the dorm I could not believe that I was there. I had arrived early, and I watched the other students come in from all over the country. At first, I felt that I did not belong in that kind of environment. I saw students arriving with their parents and bringing computers, televisions, stereos, and even refrigerators and rugs. When I saw this, I could not understand what was going on. I never really understood before then about this type of lifestyle. It seemed that everyone was very wealthy.

In the dorm, I met other students and they were friendly to me. I was scared to talk to them because I thought they would reject me. I was certain that they would not be able to understand my English, and that I would not know how to behave properly in front of them. Later on, I realized that most of them were not even paying attention to my accent and they were not judging me. I guess they saw me as just as another student like themselves.

When I was alone in my room in the dorm, I used to reflect on my experiences of the day. Coming from my environment where I was always criticized and put down, I was expecting the same kind of treatment. This was because I did not know anything else. For example, at my jobs in restaurants, my bosses and some of my co-workers used to criticize me and put me down all the time. That was all I knew. Therefore, being in the dorm with other students, and watching how they treated me differently, made me feel like a human being. I became very close to all of the other student interns in my group from City College.

I had the opportunity to take a tour at the White House with Stephan who is one of the City College interns and my friend. When I was inside the White House it seemed to me as if I were dreaming. Coming as a laborer to the U.S. I never expected in my entire life that I would have had this opportunity. When the guide of the tour was talking about the history of the White House I was amazed. I tried to look at all the objects that were pointed out by the guide including the paintings. At times I would not even hear the guide speaking because I was thinking about all the presidents of the United States who had lived in that House.

I am very grateful to the Rosenberg-Humphrey Program for giving me the opportunity to be one of their interns. I want to thank all of the people who have been working very hard to make all this possible for us. I am especially grateful to Professor Lily Hoffman and Professor Kevin Foster for all the support that they have given to me. Also, I want to thank all the staff that work very hard behind the scenes. Thanks again with all my heart. I will use this experience to pursue my academic career. The Rosenberg-Humphrey Program has given me courage and self-confidence to work towards my goal.