The Historic District of Columbia

Hold on... let me look out the window into the streets of Georgetown. Tomorrow I will see the Capitol Hill and the White House either on my way to work or as I attend think tank events as part of my internship with the United Nations Information Center.

I never thought I would do this and still cannot believe I did. I am beyond glad that I did. I have learned much more than I imagined and have grown up faster than I thought.

Summer 2010

FINALLY! Everything is set... sweet summertime!

- Enrolled in 5 summer courses: Gov: US Congress, Gov: International Relations, Marketing
- 19 more days of my internship with Senator Zaffirini
- 26 more days until London
- Getting excited about formal recruitment!
- Working on all my internship applications for the Archer Fellowship

Online Italian

Benvenuti

Here is my pre-Italian... My course begins tomorrow!

My instructor's name is Robert Bertoldi, who has a Master of Arts degree in romance languages and literature and has taught Italian at the college level.

Lesson 1- The structure of the course

Lesson 2- History of Italy

Ciao!!

Austin: Informal Classes

In efforts to enjoy my summer... I registered for the following informal classes at UT!

1- Online Italian

2- Online Travel Writing

3- Cardio Jamz: 7:30-8:30 T TH with Jackie, Christie, and maybe Paige!

4- Ballet NEXT

5- Water-coloring I

6- Midnight Kayaking on Lady Bird Lake with Kellen

I will post an individual blog for each class!

London: The LSE

A summer in London... Parle moi à Londres!

Theoretical learning approaches did not bother me at the London School of Economics... I was bewildered by the city! So much to see and do and so little time to study International Political Economy...not to mention I was in the middle of the busiest summer of my life! I met amazing people and my thirst to travel to the world began to grow.

The Capitol

Representative Ryan Guillen

The first day of my internship was January 11, 2010. I dressed in full business suit, a uniform I have adhere to daily. By my second day Robert McVey, Representative Guillen’s Chief of Staff, assigned me to casework pertaining to drunk driving in Texas, the state with the second highest drunk driving mortality rate. Consequently, I was sent to the Mothers Against Drunk Driving legislative priorities meeting. The third day I wrote a newsletter and used my multilingual skills to translate the newsletter from English to Spanish. I exceeded expectations my entire first week by working later than required. I strive to continue to show my dedication to my job.

Business Related

- My first week, I attended The Fiscal Policy Issue Orientation Session moderated by one of my role models, Royce West, who is a Democratic African American member of the Senate. Texas Monthly Magazine named him one of the “top 10 legislators in Texas.” In this session, I learned of the 5 % budget cuts mandated in the Texas 2011 Budget.

- I had the opportunity to attend a Rotary Club meeting. Susan Combs, the Comptroller for the great State of Texas, was the speaker and addressed the economic implications of the recession and the benefits of “The Rainy Day Fund,” which was created for special emergencies, such as covering budgetary shortfalls in The Children’s Health Insurance Program.”

-The past week I have researched bills that did not pass into law. I have met with Legislative Clerks of the International Relations and Trade Committees and Urban Affairs