My Desk, Their Dreams, Our Impact
My first week interning with the National Hispanic Caucus of State legislators (NHCSL) has been a whirlwind in the best way possible. I jumped right into a space where real conversations are happening about education, healthcare, housing and job training in my Hispanic communities. NHCSL brings leaders from all levels of government together to not only talk about these issues but to actually do something about them.
They also create a space to network, support leadership growth, team up with other Hispanic organizations, and push for more Hispanic representation in both government and business. Honestly, it feels like I’ve walked onto the set of a high-stake policy show, except it's all real, and somehow, I’m in the middle of it as the only intern who’s a rising junior.
On Day 2 of my placement with NHCSL, I had to write a biography for one of our staff members who casually dropped the craziest origin story! “People kept asking if I was a lawyer, and I got tired of it, so I went and got my JD,” he said. I blinked. Who does that? I couldn’t tell if that was motivation or madness, but either way, it set a really good tone–and it didn’t stop there.
Since then, I’ve discovered that all of the interns at NHCSL are headed to law school. Every time I am in the office, the phrase “Yeah, I’m applying to law school,” always seems to come up in conversation among the other staff and interns. Even at home, my host has humbly said, "I was accepted into Georgetown Law.” Here, I am surrounded by future changemakers!
I didn’t exactly grow up dreaming about legal precedent or federal jurisdiction. At one point, I was just trying to figure out what to do once it came time for us to migrate to Florida for the tomato season, and make sure that my baby brother was safe while my parents worked. Now, I’m over here highlighting Trump v. CASA and Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and trying to spell “jurisdiction” correctly. It’s not courtroom drama, but from the corner of my desk, I get to watch these brilliant scholars dissect Supreme Court decisions like it’s office gossip.
The truth is, I’ve come to love this space. Everyone, from the people on Capitol Hill, to the people who go to the front desk and take the chocolates, share the same drive: to advocate, inform, and protect. Whether they’re headed to law school or already hold a JD, there’s a fire in this office that you can just feel.
And me? I’m just here soaking it all in, grateful to be learning from people who turn policy into action and office conversations into inspiration.