Waking up from a Dream
The National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association has opened the door to my professional career and placed me in rooms with incredible, experienced people who inspire me daily. One highlight was advocating for Washington State’s Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS)programs, ESD 105 and Inspire, on Capitol Hill as a proud former MSHS student myself. Hearing parent advocates share their hopes of seeing their children in our shoes one day was deeply moving. I also connected with high school students who testified for the program Inspire, sharing with them the advice I wish I’d had at their age.
Reflecting on my United Farm Workers Labor Union internship, I’m grateful for every single task I took on. Attending the agriculture subcommittee hearing on my second day felt surreal — I remember stepping into the Rayburn room, worried everyone would know how new I was. By the end, I had grown so much: attending congressional meetings, meeting Representatives and Senators, scheduling, navigating the Hill, leading meetings with staffers, giving my farmworker testimony, and representing UFW at the press conference for the Asuncion Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act. Advocating for my community so early in my career has shown me how much I’ve underestimated myself and pushed me to dream even bigger.
One of my favorite memories of DC was a simple, perfect night with my fellow NMSHSA interns. We watched Moneyball at the Wharf, then rode rentable bikes up to the National Mall as the sun set. We spread a blanket under the Washington Monument, watched the stars and fireflies, and took in the warm summer breeze. Despite a million mosquito bites, it felt like a scene from a coming-of-age movie. The moment I realized I had achieved one of my biggest goals.
As I close this chapter in DC, my heart is overflowing with gratitude for the people who believed in me, the spaces that welcomed me, and the lessons that will guide me forward. I feel proud of the work I’ve done and even prouder of the roots that made it possible. This internship has reminded me that when we carry our communities with us, no dream is too big. Thank you, NMSHSA and UFW, for helping me become the advocate I always hoped to be.