Jasmine Meraz

Journal - Week 1

Waking up to go to the airport was the hardest thing for me, not because I had to wake up at 2:30

am, but because I only got to spend few hours with my mom who I hadn’t seen in almost three

weeks. Leaving my mom behind at the airport checkpoint entrance was the hardest thing because

I haven’t been so far away from my mom for such a long time.

Stepping out of the airplane in D.C. was the biggest step I have taken in my life to make my

dream a reality. It was raining that afternoon so it felt like home, but we had not only to wait for

our luggage, but we had to look for Patrick who we had no idea how he looked like. All the

HEP/CAMP students arrived and we headed out to settle into George Washington University

quickly because we wanted to get dinner and I needed to buy some food for the next day because

unlike the rest of the interns, I did have to work the next day. I started work at exactly 9:00 am

with orientations with another intern who also was her first day

at work. The older interns and staff showed us around the office

and the run-down of how everything worked. The best part of the

day was that I actually got to meet Senator Jeff Merkley of

Oregon who I am interning for. The week consisted of getting a

tour of the Capitol which was amazing to see all the architecture

and paintings that were intertwined into the Capitol, answering

phone calls and emails from constituents, running past Senator of

New Jersey Cory Brooker as I was running charts down to the Senate, and the highlight of the

week at work was meeting Secretary of Rural Development Lisa Mensah!

Aside from work, I had the opportunity to explore

Washington D.C. We decide to visit Georgetown

University, which is one of my all-time favorite schools

and explored its campus. I also got to try the famous

Georgetown Cupcakes from the TLC show DC

Cupcakes. My favorite places I went to this week were

the Abraham Lincoln’s and the WWW II memorial. They

meant the most to me so much because these individuals,

although in different time periods, fought for something

bigger than they could imagine. I believe this has to do a

lot with me. I never thought that I would be making such

a big impact on people’s life back home in Oregon and

making them so proud of everything I am accomplishing

in order to get myself ahead in life, and to make a

difference in my community. Being in front of and inside

these two memorials shows me that I am here to

accomplish something and I will and am making my

family proud; although I am really far away from home

and a three hour time differences, I know this experience

will be worth it and my accomplishments will be that

much more worth discussing.

 

Jasmine Meraz

Week 2

06/06/16

I started off the week by going to Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day. This was

something I took to heart because I currently have a cousin serving in the Air Force and knowing

he faces this danger whenever he gets deployed is scary. That same day, he messaged me on

Facebook to tell me that he was proud of me for leaving home and taking on this opportunity. I

couldn’t help

but cry because

I didn’t even

know he knew

about my

internship, and

because this day

was for him and

the other

veterans,

especially those

who died and

never made it

home. He told

me he loved me

and is proud of

the woman I

have become. Taking this into account, I realized that I have been having an impact on my

family even though I didn’t think some of them knew what I was up to. Going up to the Tomb of

the Unknown Soldier made me think of my cousin and everything he has sacrificed in order to

provided safety and security for his family and others. I was also moved by the veterans present

that day who placed wreaths for these unknown soldiers. This was honestly the best way to start

off the week.

Since we had Monday off, I had a 4 day work week. It was also a casual week since the Senate

wasn’t in session. Four new interns joined the office on Tuesday, and they were very helpful in

opening and answering the campaign mail. We had 2,000 pieces of mail and we almost finished

it all. My work for the week consisted of, checking emails, answering phone calls, and running

any errands that the office needed. I did get the opportunity to go on a scavenger hunt with the

other interns and it was honestly the most fun I’ve had at the office. June promises to be a very

busy month since we will be in session until the week I leave for home. I am looking forward to

actually working with the legislative matters that interests me.

The CAMP interns and I decided that we would try and cook together most of the week since it

is cheaper and easier to cook together than separately. We made dinner almost every night, and I

must say we definitely made home come to us. One night we made lasagna, another night it was

taquitos de papa and frijoladas which was my specialty. Our final meal was pork chops with

mashed potatoes that I made from scratch. Let’s say that we aren’t starving and we’re all

bringing a little bit of home into the food we all decide to make together which I believe is

bringing us closer together since we are in many aspects, becoming a family.

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Jasmine Meraz

Week 3

My week started off with running errands at work; although the errand that I had to run was

pretty fun. I had the opportunity to run documents to get signed by all the Oregon

Representatives’ offices and in doing so ran into Peter DeFazio in his own office! This is the

second time I’ve seen him in person and I couldn’t be happier to see someone who represents my

district just go about his day like he’s a normal person just like you and me. The highlight of my

week was getting the opportunity to have lunch with the Senator Merkley and all the staff to just

talk about the issues we feel is important to discuss in a private setting. Also, I gave a tour to two

women who were military veterans and met while they were deployed and we became really

close friends. To me this meant a lot because it shows that under circumstances they were in,

they were still able to build close relationship that lasted them beyond their time serving in the

military.

This weekend was probably one of the best weekends I’ve had since being in Washington D.C.

We started off our weekend by making homemade hamburgers on Friday night in celebration of

Aleysa and I being finally done with school after spending the first 3 weeks doing homework and

preparing for finals. Being in school while starting this internship was really hard on me because

I wanted to put all my time in school but it was hard because I had to dedicate a lot of time at the

office. However, thanks to my amazing mother and boyfriend I was able to stay on track in order

to finish classes to the best of my abilities. Finishing my first year of college was a relief off my

shoulder, it just sucked that I was not at Oregon State University to physically finish the year

with the rest of my CAMP family. Although I have felt homesick a couple of times, the

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encouragement from my family has made it easier for me to be here which makes it that much

more special to me knowing that they appreciate what I’m doing in order to better myself for

them.

This weekend has been the most productive one we’ve had so far and I couldn’t be happier about

it. Saturday we spent half of the day at the National Archives museum which was the best

experience ever! I had the opportunity to see the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution,

and The Bill of Rights, which was the most incredible thing being able to physically see these

important documents that we’ve spent years learning about in school, and now being able to see

all these papers in there bits of glory made me realize that these papers weren’t meant to signify

the people and the power of change. The second half of the day was spend at the Smithsonian

Museum of Natural History, which brought out the science-loving child I grew up being. To be

able to see so many researchers from so many fields working together to make a difference in the

world for the better made me think of other people who are doing the same thing, through

different field of course but all focusing on changing the world to make it a better place for all

humanity to observe and preserve.

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We spent more time at the National Museum of the American Indian discovering the land and

heritage of those who came before us and claimed this land theirs prior to colonialism in both of

the Americas. This museum has been by far the most emotional and meaningful museum for me

because my father’s side of the family are indigenous people from Mexico and it made me

realize how little I knew about my own heritage as well as how many of us have forgotten where

we come from or even have evidence of our ancestors. These American Indians have taken the

responsibility to preserve and share their culture with the outside world in hopes to gain

recognition for their people. I want to be able to talk to my future kids about my heritage but

before that I need to discover what my heritage really is because a lot of it has been lost through

generation of colonialism in Mexico. One day I hope that I will be able to speak the language of

my ancestors and preserve this culture that is so beautiful and so meaningful. Coming to this

museum gave me hope that I can restore the culture that has been lost as well as give other

culture hope that can do the same.

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Jasmine Meraz

Week 4

My week started off with the rest of the interns coming into the office, which was

amazing because all of them went to public Division I schools like me and two of them were

from Oregon State as well. I had the opportunity to help them with anything they needed. Also, I

was so excited to start on two projects after spending a majority of time replying to emails and

other small tasks. Getting to work on the two projects made me really excited because I’ve felt

that I hadn’t been reaching out enough to the people in charge of the areas I am interested in.

Everyone in the office is really nice and they gave me the opportunity to work on something

new.

Many senate offices don’t give their interns the opportunity to shadow their

representatives. However, I am one of the lucky interns that get this amazing opportunity. I spent

a whole day following my senator and seeing what it’s really like to work at the senate and have

so many responsibilities as well as commitments to attend. This was a time for me to ask him

any questions about Oregon legislation and federal level legislation. I was so excited that I could

ask Senator Merkley about issues that I wanted to learn, especially those at the state level.

This week was one of the busiest out of the 3 weeks that I’ve been here. As some may

know, the Orlando shooting broke out this past week and many senators took their voices to the

floor to not only show their support but to take action on this issue of discrimination using

weapons in the United States. The filibuster that took place on Wednesday evening sparked a lot

of attention and Senator Merkley being one senator out of many senators and congressmen

/congresswomen that were part of this, received countless emails and phone calls from

constituents regarding their opinions on what was said during their speeches. Because of this, I

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experienced I had a busy day responding to constituents and hearing their remarks without

getting upset of those who I may not agree with. That day I really learned about staying calm and

not getting quick tempered because I’m there to help out, not to create more stress.

Aside from work, I along with the other CAMP interns went to a tri-caucus reception that

included minority’s interns on the Hill (Latino, African American, and Asian & Pacific interns).

This was great opportunity to listen to speakers express how the next generation of leaders will

be minorities and the difference we will make and experiences we will take back to our

communities. The three House Representatives that spoke at the reception were Linda Sanchez

(California), Mike Honda (California), and Luis Gutierrez (Illinois). I was fortunate to speak to

all three for quite some time and take pictures with them. My favorite was Congressmen

Gutierrez because he represents the Chicago district and being there only four months ago, it was

a place that I fell in love with, and seeing someone who is Latino representing such a big city

inspired me.

Linda Sanchez represents the San Francisco district and

women and Latinas/Latinx should look up to. As a

minority going through the higher education system,

sometimes I feel hopeless that my efforts won’t go

beyond the university or even my community. But Linda

showed me that there is no challenge big enough that I

can’t overcome. She said I can find resources that exist

and someone like me can grab those resources to make a

difference.

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Jasmine Meraz

Journal - Week 5

I have finally made it past the halfway point of my internship. Although I am excited about it,

I’m trying to get in as much in as I possibly can before my time here is over for the summer. To

start off the week, the interns from the office and I had the opportunity to have a breakfast with

our senator and ask him any question that we had in regards to work and our personal interest. It

was great to just have a deep conversation for a good hour that followed a group picture and an

individual picture, which is something most offices don’t do. To think of it, most offices don’t do

anything that our office does, but I guess that goes to show you the differences between

members.

So far, I have learned about how policy making works. I had the chance to go to two briefings

on topics of interest to me: Labor/Immigration and Education. Although the information may not

been positive or upbeat, it was important and something I needed to know. Words can’t explain

how surprised I was to go to these briefing on H-2B work visas for migrant workers and For

Profit Colleges and how they have hurt students trying to pursue higher education.

As a first generation student, I understand that a lot of our decisions on which school to

attend is based on which school is going to give us the most financial aid, but for students who

are victims of these for-profit universities, their debt becomes to great and they come to the

realization that if they try and transfer to another school, their education is not accredited and

they can’t get their money back. As for the H-2B visa workers, it saddens me that many workers

are exploited by their employers and can’t do anything about it because the debt they’ve

accumulated is more than they can bare. The mistreatment of these migrant workers is something

that goes beyond just these workers. It is something undocumented workers in the U.S face on a

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daily basis and as a child coming from a single parent who has worked her entire life in the field,

it hurts me that people who simply want a better life for themselves and their families have to

face so much discrimination and work under horrible conditions with no benefits or chance to

prosper.

This week, the rest of the CAMP interns and I had the great privilege to attend Ruben

Hinojosa’s reception to honor him as his retirement is coming at the end of the year. It was

amazing to be in the same room with someone who has fought so much to fund minorities in

higher education. Without his support and many others, CAMP, SSS, TRIO, and other outreach

programs wouldn’t be able to have the funds to support these programs. Hearing all the great

things many congressmen and congresswomen had to say about him made me grateful to have

this opportunity and makes me realize that we need to keep fighting for these programs so more

of us can experience the benefits of these programs.

After a long week filled with meetings and daily tasks, we enjoyed the weekend. On Saturday we

went kayaking on the Potomac River early in the morning. It was one of the coolest things I’ve

done simply because I love outdoor activities and this was something I’ve been wanting to do for

a long time. After finishing kayaking we headed to grab a bite to eat and not just any food, but

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Dominican food! It was one of the best meals I have tried and for the amount the restaurant was

giving you, it was worth it all and I didn’t wait or waste anytime devouring the meal. After lunch

we headed towards the mall to get some souvenirs for our families and do a little bit of retail

therapy that was much needed. Once we got home, we decided to make tacos that we’ve been

putting off for about two weeks. We invited some fellow interns from CHCI and had a nice

dinner with tacos and horchata. Unfortunately, although it was great night we had to go to bed

early because we had another long day ahead of us and I still needed to talk to my mom.

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Sunday was the most emotional day for me because we finally got to go to the Holocaust

Memorial Museum. I have spent a lot time learning about this issue, watching movies,

documentaries, reading books, and even hearing real people talk about their experiences living in

concentration camps during the Holocaust. This was a peaceful place, a place where I can truly

put my mind, body, and soul into and really dedicate all my time into. Sure, all the museums here

are great, but no museum has ever moved me and made me as emotional as this museum. Being

able to see physical papers, objects, read so much more than what I thought I knew was an eye

opening for me. By far made me realize that I have more to learn and the only way I believe that

will happen is if I travel to places like Germany, Poland, and other countries where these camps

were placed and where this form of inhuman acts were done. For me, this journey needed to be

done alone and I was grateful that my fellow interns gave me the opportunity to give me my

space in order to think and take in everything that was processing my head throughout the two or

so hours we were there. At the end of the tour I was filled with emotions but I was very thankful

that my fellow interns were present for this emotional moment and important moment in my life.

This is something I will forever me grateful for and will remember for a long time.

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Jasmine Meraz

Week 6 Journal

As we came to another week at the office, I could not imagine a better week to be here.

My week started with a briefing on the Blue Campaign from the Department of Health and

Human Services to raise awareness about human trafficking. This was something I was really

interested in because I have always wanted to learn more about it and also what could I do to end

something as heartbreaking as this that happens to thousands of women and men. This week, I

also had the great opportunity to meet Giev Kashkooli, Vice President of the United Farm

Workers (UFW), that was started by our very own Cesar Chavez over 50 years ago. Meeting

Giev was amazing because we were able to tell our stories of our parents and the struggle of

being children of immigrant parents and how these obstacles push us to want to achieve more

than we can imagine.

The opportunity to meet such a great activist for my community and many of ours around the

west coast made me grateful to meet him and know he is there to help my Latino community in

need of justice in their work place. I know that we can all do something to help our families to

better their work environment and I couldn’t be more excited to help UFW in any way that I can.

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The weekend was definitely the best time to be in Washington DC since it was 4th

of July

weekend. Saturday we all went to a BBQ with other Latino interns and staff members working

on the Hill. It was amazing to see so many Latinos in one setting talking about their passions and

their work. After spending some quality time with our fellow Latino brothers and sisters, we

headed off to get groceries for the holiday that was much needed. On Sunday we were invited to

one of the intern supervisor’s home for a vision board party. When I first heard of a vision board

party, I thought it was about all of us coming up with ideas together. Little did I know that it was

about ourselves, what we wanted to do with our lives, what we wanted to work on physically,

emotionally, spiritually, mentally, etc. For my vision board, I decided to dedicate to everything I

must work on before making any plans of where I want to go in life, think more of it as short

term goals for long term results. My vision board was based on things I must work on within

myself to help me grow as a person, as a woman, and as a first generation Latina going through

the higher education system. Before I can plan my life, I must take a step back and recognize the

things that are holding me back so I can confront them and acknowledge that I need change in

my life to become a more open person. After doing this vision board, I believe that I now know

what I need to do to become a better student, daughter, woman, mentor, and teacher. Not taking a

picture of it is a personal choice I made which is why there will be no presentation of it. I must

think of myself first and not let outside minds contribute to what I need to work on for myself.

After 18 years of spending my 4th

of July with my family and best friend, this year, at 19 I had to

go through a difficult moment of knowing that my tradition changed. However, I did get to spend

with a great group of people that made my experience worth it. We all got ready and headed out

around 12:30pm to sit down for 9 hours to watch the famous fireworks from the Abraham

Lincoln Memorial. Unfortunately, for us the rain from back home followed us and we got rained

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most of the day and we had to go back and change into suitable clothes. Although the weather

was not on our side, just being able to say that we watched the fireworks from the Lincoln

Memorial and got to be around great people made me feel like home. It made my experience

better and I couldn’t think to be with any other group of people to experience this moment. I’m

grateful that I have this amazing opportunity to live something as great as this. I will forever

remember this and cherish it for many years to come.

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Jasmine Meraz

Week 7 Journal

Well it looks like week seven finally passed and might I say it was definitely a busy one;

considering it was also a short four days because of the holiday. The majority of the week I spent

my time working on two background memos on health care issues, and let me say it took up a lot

of time trying to find the right information to write in and make sure that I wasn’t mixing the

information around. I did have the opportunity to hear Senator Merkley speak at the lecture

series they have for all interns to attend; it was worth attending as the words he spoke are ones

you don’t expect most senators to speak with such sincerity in their voice.

The whole week consisted of writing those memos by Friday morning and I spent every

moment I could researching and reading as much information as I could to make the document

look as clear as possible. Looking back from the beginning to the end, I didn’t think I would

focus or spend much time on health care issues since that’s not what my main focus was,

however, due to the fact that the issues I was interested didn’t have much work to be done, I was

grateful that they gave me something to do even if it was a small project. Now being able to say

that the issue of health care and the different aspects of it are very interesting and I am way more

informed than I would’ve thought imaginable.

As the week came to a close and the rest of the interns were getting ready to head to NYC

for the weekend, I unfortunately had to stay back because of personal issues conflicting with

being able to attend; however, through this internship I got close to another intern in my office

and we decide to make plans for the weekend as she didn’t have anything to do that weekend

either.

Saturday afternoon we went to the National Zoological Park here in Washington D.C and

I fell in love with it, not only because it was a beautiful free park, but because they have the two

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animals that I love the most, pandas and lions! It’s crazy how I’ve spent 19 years living on this

Earth and had yet to see either one of these at any zoo. It was amazing to see such beautiful

creatures all across the park, yet I can’t help but feel bad for them because they have to spend

their lives in captivity to fill people like me with joy. I understand both sides of this issue but I

guess I have to just enjoy and realize that if it wasn’t for zoos like this one, I would never be able

to see animals like these outside their habitats.

After a long day at the zoo, we headed out to a Peruvian restaurant for dinner as we

didn’t eat before leaving. It was great to have someone like her around who understands me and

can have a quality conversation over dinner with no distractions; she’s the first person I have met

here who’s also in a relationship and doesn’t know how she’s getting through it. Dinner was

amazing and sitting at the restaurant just talking was something I haven’t had the chance to do

with anyone, especially not one on one. The night ended and we headed into our individual

rooms and got some rest as the next day would be the longest one yet.

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Sunday started off early as we had to get to the metro before 9 to catch the right train and

make it to the bus we needed to get on to reach out destination in Maryland to Six Flags

America. Anyone that knows me knows that I love amusement rides and this was the perfect

place for me to be. We got there as soon as the park opened and there already was a long line of

people waiting for the park to open. We got to go on all the rides we wanted to with little to no

lines which was great. It was great to have someone like her to be able to share the love of thrill

rides with because my best friend and I have also had a love for rides and having an intern like

her made it easy to feel like I’m home.

It was definitely a good weekend about things that I wanted to do and was really interested in

doing. It’s sad to think that this internship is coming to an end but I will be sure to make the best

of the remaining week and a half that I am here for.

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Jasmine Meraz

Week 8 Journal

As week eight came and left, I spend the majority of my time attending as many briefings

and have as many meetings with staffers as possible. I started on Monday with a briefing on the

economics of the drought and how the United States is dealing with different variations of the

drought across the map. I didn’t think I would spend time investing myself in learning about

different issues regarding the agriculture but coming from a mother who works year round in the

fields, I thought it was important to give it a shot even if it wasn’t my major or my emphasis for

my internship.

Tuesday we had a brown bag lunch with our Legislative Director who gave us the ins and

outs of all the senate rules and all the procedures that are so critical to follow. It was great to be

able to hear the proper procedures, although it was a little late but we all understood as he had a

busy schedule for the majority of my time there. The fact that he made time for all of us to talk

for over an hour about any Senate rule questions or anything was great because it shows that they

do take the time to check in with their interns and help them out as much as possible.

Thursday I got the great privilege to attend the Latino Summit at the Senate and got to

hear amazing speakers and panelists give their words of wisdom as well as answer questions we

were all eager to know. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see many powerful Latino

leaders on the capital as well as big advocates and people who are doing their part to help their

fellow Latino communities. We got to hear from a variety of organizations on the panels from

Voto Latino to attorney companies representing Latinos; not only they spoke, we also got the

amazing opportunity to hear Senator Bob Menendez from New Jersey, Julian Castro Secretary of

Housing and Urban Development, Tom Perez Secretary of Labor, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and

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many others speak to young Latinos and encouraged us to go back to our communities to make a

difference because only we can change the world we live in.

Then Friday came and also my last day working in the amazing office that I spent almost

two months. We had a brown bag with our Intern Coordinator then our Scheduling Team after;

they talked to us about dos and don’ts of interviews and resumes, the busy life of running the

Senator’s day, how to manage home and work life, and their life experiences that have helped

them to what they do on a daily basis. It really was amazing to get to know all the staffers on a

deeper level where they could be honest to us and tell us the hard truth although it might’ve not

been the answer we were hoping to get. The rest of the day consisted of intern check ins, one last

time for me and my meeting with my Intern Coordinator to turn in and discuss my exit memo I

had to write for the office. We got to talk for a long time and discuss my experience in the office,

my highs and lows, and my overall feeling of the internship. After a long 30 minute talk, the day

was over and we all got to go home as we get off at 3 on Fridays when we’re in recess.

Saturday I spent the day with two of my intern coworkers and we headed to the famous

Ben’s Chili Bowl here in DC and it lived up to its name by being a top good chili. We spent a

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good time there talking about my internship and what plans we all had once we returned back

home, and I’m happy to know that we’re all going to try and hang out, especially one of them

who go to Oregon State as well. The rest of the day consisted of shopping and walking around

the mall; it was great to just have good quality girl time as many refer to it as it was much needed

as we all haven’t been around our best friends in so long. After a long 3 hours in the mall we

decided to call it a day as we were all tired from walking around up and down 4 floors of the

mall. I’m so glad that I was able to gain such a close relationship with my intern class and get to

know them on a different level as many offices don’t do that very much, but I was fortunate that

as all Oregon students, we were able to connect and spark each other’s interests.

Sunday we got the amazing opportunity to once again to go to Dr. Lisa Ramirez’s home

for a BBQ and what would be a talent show as well as a surprise birthday party for Monse. There

we were able to perform a skit based on our experiences of this internship. It was great to get to

share our lives with Dr. Lisa’s friends and family just so they can get to know us a little better

with the short time we were here. We finally got to sing Monse happy birthday although her

birthday wasn’t until the next day. We wanted to make her birthday memorable and I believe we

did that for her. After a long talent show and skit, we all had the opportunity to talk to Dr. Lisa

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and her friends on a closer level and it was amazing to see how much they admired us when we

should be the ones to be admired by them. We got to talk to Dr. Lisa and discuss her book that

talked about her life obstacles and how they’ve gotten her to where she is now; and she is

someone truly amazing and inspiring to talk to and listen. This experience to be surrounded by

such a strong woman with so much power has truly motivated me to become a better person and

has made me more determined to continue my education in order to make a name for myself.

Thanks to Dr. Lisa, I found in myself things that I didn’t know and that’s something I will take

with me forever.

The last week at work was a bittersweet moment; not only because we are finally done

with an eight week long internship but because we finally get to go back to our communities that

we’ve been away from and share what we’ve learned. Coming from the background I come

from, I never thought this internship opportunity was ever possible, but because of people like

my advisor Amas who helped me get here I was able to experience a once in a lifetime

opportunity to go away from my beautiful state of Oregon. Not only did he give me this

internship opportunity, he gave me the opportunity to grow as a student, an activist, a daughter, a

friend, a mentor, and as a Latina. If it wasn’t for people like him in my life and the life of my

fellow CAMP students back at Oregon State, we would not be the young adults we are today

going into our second year of college. It’s because of people like him and my staffers in my

office who take the time to get to know us and see the greatness in us that we are able to grow

and realize that we’re not just stereotypes, we’re students and we matter to our communities and

the future of this country.

The people in my office made my experience interning on the hill and in the United

States Senate in specific has me so thankful that I got to be around such positive and encouraging

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staffers and interns that can’t always be said by all offices. There was one staffer in particular

that made my experience the best it could’ve been, and she wasn’t my legislative correspondent

that I was assigned to but she was the only Latina working in the office, and that was equally as

important. As a first-generation Latina interning somewhere so far away from home, it’s hard to

have someone to look up to or even be able to talk about issues because your family can’t relate

to what you’re experiencing of feeling. Being able to hang out with her and my other intern

coworker Gisselle has made it easier for me to feel comfortable in an office and an area that I’m

not familiar with; having people like them was made this experience so much better, and I felt

important and wanted.

Being away from home was a big challenge for me as I’m the youngest child and the only

girl so it wasn’t easy for my mother to let me go. My mom has always been my biggest supporter

and best friend, but knowing I was away from home broke my heart because I couldn’t help her

and be there for her when she needed. Anyone that knows the life of a farm worker knows that

May through October is crucial as it is harvest season and the most work happens during this

time; because of this I was not able to talk to my mom during the week as much I would like and

if I did she would be too tired to talk about much, and to make it harder being in a three hour

time difference made it harder for us to find a time to talk to have a quality conversation.

Being so far away was difficult at times, but I was blessed enough to be around such a

good group of people who are so encouraging and uplifting even when times were hard. When

you live the life that I have, an opportunity like this doesn’t just happen. My mother’s only goal

was to get me through high school, she wasn’t thinking far ahead of that, but she knew I dreamt

of going to college although we both didn’t know how it was financially possible for me to do

so. Because of this internship, I was able to listen to amazing Latino leaders and advocates,

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attend briefings on issues that I was concerned or lacked knowledge of, and I was able to gain a

close net relationship with my office, especially Erika the only Latina staffer who took the time

to be there for me when I thought no one cared. This experience with her and this officer made if

one of a kind, it made it unforgettable.

Thank you to the HEP/CAMP Association and Amas especially for this amazing

opportunity I have been blessed with. Because of this internship I was able to tell my fellow

interns my life story in hopes they would understand who I am better and why I am the way I

am. My dream is and always will be to make my mother proud and because of people like the

HEP/CAMP program who believe in people like my fellow CAMP students and me. That dream

has become a reality and it’s all thanks to you. My family will forever be grateful for this

amazing opportunity to do something positive with my life and break the boundaries that have

existed in my life for so long. I love you all and thank you for your dedication to helping all of us

--Jasmine Meraz