Last week was rather eventful! I spent the week changing schedules, rescheduling meetings, and preparing for my supervisors to be out of the office. Did I forget to mention that it was finals week at my university? Monday I had to hunt down my new cell phone that was delivered by UPS but no one knew where it was. I eventually tracked it down and was able to have a working cell phone on Tuesday. This was important come Wednesday because there was a shooting at the Holocaust Museum which is right across the street from USDA, where I work. The offices across the hall from me overlook the Holocaust Museum, so everything got pretty crazy. They had us go to the deputy director’s office, which has windows facing inside the USDA building. While we were there I called my parents and AAPD to let them know that I was ok. Then, security came and told us we had to evacuate that area. Everyone was confused and trying to stay safe and follow directions. My supervisor told me that I could go home and escorted me out of the building, across the street (which was blocked off from cars), and to the subway. I got out of that area on the next train I could catch and went to the other end of the city. On Thursday and Friday, my main goal was to finish up my quarter at my university, which ended Friday. I almost completed this task when I was working on my last final exam for my Accounting class. Two hours into the exam, my document went crazy and turned into computer language. Today I finished my exam! I am finished with spring quarter! Hopefully this week will go more smoothly.
--Daman Wandke
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Fabio Botarelli (3rd Blog)
There is a saying in life that says “if you do not take a step out of the door, then nothing in life will happen to you, but the second you take that first step there is a fifty percent chance that something novel will come into your life.” This was the lesson that I put into practice this week when I went up to legislative assistants of each committee and asked to attend as many hearings as possible. I wanted to see how public policy was being made on capital hill, where politicians were scrutinized by the press and assailed by their opponents behind the closed doors of a conference room. Considering the circumstances, I was fortunate enough to attend four hearings, one in commerce, one in education and two in health care. But this wasn’t about the quantity of the hearings, it was about getting an insiders perspective and a thorough education of the political scene. Of all those hearings, the one that truly entitled “Education that works: The impact of Early Childhood Interventions on Reducing the Need for Special Education Services.” For those AAPD interns including myself who have struggled with one or more developmental disabilities, this was a hearing to attend. It has been studied that 85 percent of the brain’s core structure is developed before the age of 3. The ability to target the strengths and weaknesses of children often dictates the academic success of the child when they reach later years in their education. For children with learning disabilities, this is especially important. Children with learning disabilities who have gone through effective early childhood programs have been able to overcome their disabilities and attend mainstream schools without having to enroll in special education. At the end of the day, the more money that is spent on early education, the less money that will have to be spent addressing learning problems in a child’s later years. Special education, though an excellent way to address the needs of students with disabilities, oftentimes can cost a state many more thousands of dollars per child and may not be able fully mitigate the severity of a child’s disability. And unless the parents are very self-aware, children with learning disabilities are either thrown recklessly into a mainstream public school or given medication, which further complicates the problem because then you do not know whether you are dealing with the disability or the side effects of the medication. So to all of you Congressional AAPD interns, my advice to you is to take advantage of your experience. Do not be shy to ask your coordinator to attend hearings because people are not mind readers and unless you tell them and emphasize what it means to you, you might never get as many opportunities. No matter what the subject is, every hearing will teach you valuable knowledge that will make you not only more prepared to enter the field of politics but also augment your writing skills and make you a more effective advocate for the disability community. Because at the end of the day you have nothing to lose; the worse thing your coordinator could say is no.
The Rapid Speed of Week 2
I do not like when it rains. Life is so much harder when it rains. Managing an umbrella while using a wheelchair and carrying crutches is extremely difficult. However, a very nice staff member in the office got me stretch cords so the crutch carrying is non-existent…I just strap them to the back of my chair. There is a downside though; now, whenever there is an elevator outage (which happens at least 2-3 times a week at the most inconvenient times), I no longer need to ask help from anyone. That seems good but actually it is a downside because I always asked the most beautiful looking girl to help me.
The days here seem to fly by. I have extensive goals for the summer but don’t seem to find time to work towards accomplishing any of them! I was at the White House on Thursday but didn’t get to meet with Obama (yet), lol. In all honesty, I feel like the last three weeks have slipped by me and that disappoints me. I have greatly enjoyed the time though. I am learning more and more about myself and how I relate and come across to others. I am also learning how to deal with using a wheelchair amidst the rude, ignorant people who don’t get out of the way and the polite but annoying people who try to help you with everything as though you are helpless.
All in all, I see the potential for a fantastic summer. I have new business cards and look for opportunities to pass them around. I have met some fantastic people and I am improving on the follow steps needed to build the relationship. I am very excited about the summer and the personal and professional growth that will surely happen. Though I am sure everyone knows this advice, but I will write it anyway. There are three tips I will share each week that is advice I picked up throughout the week. For this week, Slaymaker’s Sayings:
1. Be curious and always look for an opportunity to ask questions and LEARN something. Read the newspaper and develop talking points on a wide variety of issues.
2. Don’t make enemies i.e. burn bridges. Always be courteous to everyone you encounter and look for opportunities to meet those who you think you will connect with.
3. Cultivate mentors in every capacity: peers, office staff, and the highest official you come in contact with. Make sure you are thankful for this opportunity and wake up everyday and make a mental note of the blessings that you have.
That is all for now. Signing off…
The days here seem to fly by. I have extensive goals for the summer but don’t seem to find time to work towards accomplishing any of them! I was at the White House on Thursday but didn’t get to meet with Obama (yet), lol. In all honesty, I feel like the last three weeks have slipped by me and that disappoints me. I have greatly enjoyed the time though. I am learning more and more about myself and how I relate and come across to others. I am also learning how to deal with using a wheelchair amidst the rude, ignorant people who don’t get out of the way and the polite but annoying people who try to help you with everything as though you are helpless.
All in all, I see the potential for a fantastic summer. I have new business cards and look for opportunities to pass them around. I have met some fantastic people and I am improving on the follow steps needed to build the relationship. I am very excited about the summer and the personal and professional growth that will surely happen. Though I am sure everyone knows this advice, but I will write it anyway. There are three tips I will share each week that is advice I picked up throughout the week. For this week, Slaymaker’s Sayings:
1. Be curious and always look for an opportunity to ask questions and LEARN something. Read the newspaper and develop talking points on a wide variety of issues.
2. Don’t make enemies i.e. burn bridges. Always be courteous to everyone you encounter and look for opportunities to meet those who you think you will connect with.
3. Cultivate mentors in every capacity: peers, office staff, and the highest official you come in contact with. Make sure you are thankful for this opportunity and wake up everyday and make a mental note of the blessings that you have.
That is all for now. Signing off…
Fabio Botarelli (2nd Blog: First Week On The Job)
My first work week began on a dramatic Monday morning with the unfortunate breakdown of the first two trains destined for Capital South, the stop of my work location. With ten minutes left before the dreaded 9:00 am time, I raced to the Senate Office building, reaching Schumer’s office two minutes early. The first thing that they had us do was teach us how to operate the phones. Later in the day they gave us a tour of the Senate building in which I took many pictures on my phone. But for the most part my first day on the job was about learning phones, checking mail and learning how to write constituent mail. For the next few days we performed the tasks that they have trained me to do but the real change in my schedule with on Wednesday when they had me attend the Dirksen building to attend a subcommittee hearing on charter schools. I was given this assignment due to the drafts that I have written for constituent mail and the fact that my boss was a legislative assistant who specialized in education. I was required at the meeting to write an action memo based on the notes that I have taken at the hearing. By the conclusion at this meeting I was able to completely understand why I wanted to get involved in politics. I wanted to hear about public policy before it hit the papers, sort of like watching a movie before it hit the theaters. From this meeting I learned how charter schools were outperforming their rivals due to the fact that they promoted a competitive education system in which only the brightest students could attend certain charter schools. The teachers who taught at these schools were more qualified because their salaries were determined based on their ability to teach. But the charter schools are not under the dominion of the all powerful teachers unions, so resistance is to be expected as more charter schools are opened. By the end of the week I was tired but thrilled that I got to learn so much in only a short amount of time. When it comes to everything in life the first stages are usually to toughest but I know that after this week I will not only know what to expect but will be given more challenging tasks that will take me outside of the office.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Rally on the Hill
Another week has passed and the office is as busy as ever. On Monday the National Council of Independent Living or NCIL held a rally outside of the capital building to promote the Community Choice Act. The Community Choice Act is a bill that is part of a larger movement to reform this counties health care system. It will give options for long term in a home setting instead of a nursing home. The Rally it self featured several speaks including Andy. The speakers would sometimes prompt chants. They are as follows:
Speaker: “WHAT DO WE WHAT”
Crowd: “FREEDOM”
Speaker: “WHEN DO WE WHAT IT”
Crowd: “NOW”
This rally was about raising awareness regarding an “Institutional Bias” in the current long term health care policy. This was the first event of its kind I had ever been to.
As for the database there is still a lot of data to be entered. It will occupy much of my time for the foreseeable future.
Next Week I will be attending the MEAF lunch event and the AAPD board meetings. I hope to see some of you there. Have a great weak end and have fun.
Chad
Speaker: “WHAT DO WE WHAT”
Crowd: “FREEDOM”
Speaker: “WHEN DO WE WHAT IT”
Crowd: “NOW”
This rally was about raising awareness regarding an “Institutional Bias” in the current long term health care policy. This was the first event of its kind I had ever been to.
As for the database there is still a lot of data to be entered. It will occupy much of my time for the foreseeable future.
Next Week I will be attending the MEAF lunch event and the AAPD board meetings. I hope to see some of you there. Have a great weak end and have fun.
Chad
Times Get Harder
Hello Everyone,
We've made it past week two. This has been a challenging week for me. I have dealt with many changes in my own health and disability which has caused much hardache with my work as an Intern.
I was just thinking I was starting to get into the groove of things at the Coast Guard and was really starting to be relied on for things. Isn't that always when it happens...My symptoms or rather tics started getting really bad and they just have been increasing this last week. Most of it is due to the climate change. The humidity has really increased my tics. This has been a great problem as of late. All in all I had to miss a day and I had to go home early another day.
My supervisors seem to really be willing to help though. They are going to let me work from home two or three days a week so I can try to have my body recoup. Then the other days I should be feeling up to going into the office. They are getting me software that I can use on my personal laptop so I can accomplish the work tasks at home. I thought this to be very cool.
Needless to say my works compassion and desire to help me has been a great blessing. Though they are not the only ones who have really helped me out this week. A few fellow interns have taken time from there own busy schedules to go shopping for me or do other errands that have truly touched my heart. Seeming that I can't go outside for very long or I risk the chance of a massive cardiac I have been extremely grateful to them. Thanks again you guys for stepping up and helping us all to succeed.
Truly, our needs and challenges are different and range as the colors of the rainbow but there is a common thread that unites us all. That is of love, kindness, and understanding. All of us when we leave this time hopefully will take with us a better appreciation of these qualities. It seems as for some they already have. To each of us let's continue to press forward and even though challenges exist we can overcome them together.
Take care for now my friends,
Peter
We've made it past week two. This has been a challenging week for me. I have dealt with many changes in my own health and disability which has caused much hardache with my work as an Intern.
I was just thinking I was starting to get into the groove of things at the Coast Guard and was really starting to be relied on for things. Isn't that always when it happens...My symptoms or rather tics started getting really bad and they just have been increasing this last week. Most of it is due to the climate change. The humidity has really increased my tics. This has been a great problem as of late. All in all I had to miss a day and I had to go home early another day.
My supervisors seem to really be willing to help though. They are going to let me work from home two or three days a week so I can try to have my body recoup. Then the other days I should be feeling up to going into the office. They are getting me software that I can use on my personal laptop so I can accomplish the work tasks at home. I thought this to be very cool.
Needless to say my works compassion and desire to help me has been a great blessing. Though they are not the only ones who have really helped me out this week. A few fellow interns have taken time from there own busy schedules to go shopping for me or do other errands that have truly touched my heart. Seeming that I can't go outside for very long or I risk the chance of a massive cardiac I have been extremely grateful to them. Thanks again you guys for stepping up and helping us all to succeed.
Truly, our needs and challenges are different and range as the colors of the rainbow but there is a common thread that unites us all. That is of love, kindness, and understanding. All of us when we leave this time hopefully will take with us a better appreciation of these qualities. It seems as for some they already have. To each of us let's continue to press forward and even though challenges exist we can overcome them together.
Take care for now my friends,
Peter
Week 3
I’ve been working at the Coast Guard for two weeks now with my supervisor Chief Warrant Officer Wes Wallace. My roommate, Peter Jensen, also interns there. Wes has offered to take us to a Nationals game, which sounds fun. The office here is pretty informal, and Wes has encouraged me to quote “Family Guy,” which he says is common practice around there. I’ve told Wes that I’m willing to do any type of work from filing to working the Xerox machine. So, iIve done a variety of jobs around the office, such as affixing instruction cards to computers, data entry, measuring, and filing. I guess you could call it typical intern work, but I’m happy just to be helping out. I was lucky to even get into this program in the first place.
The big news on Wednesday of course was the shooting at the Holocaust Museum. I actually only found out about it at 2:30 in the afternoon when my supervisor said I could leave early to beat the subsequent traffic jams. The shooting really scared me. If the crime had occurred on a weekend instead of on a workday, there’s chance that I would’ve been at the Holocaust museum. For the past two weekends, I’ve gone to museums with Mitch (one of my fellow interns), and seeing how we are both part Jewish, it’s very likely we could have chosen the Holocaust Museum. And knowing how much Mitch likes museums, we probably would have stayed there all day as well. Finally, it only makes matters worse that the shooter is being treated at the George Washington University Hospital, the place where I board the metro to work every morning.
The weird thing is that I never really felt vulnerable to violence when I was growing up in the city of Oakland, California, which has a high crime rate. I remember walking to the Goodwill store once with my mom and brother when suddenly one guy pinned another guy against our parked car and started punching him in the face. My mom and brother immediately ran towards the store to find protection, and I remember how she was too discombobulated to even dial the police on her cell phone. I however felt detached, and all I could think was how my mom should turn on our car’s panic function. Even when my house was robbed three months ago (we weren’t home at the time), I never felt any sense of danger or fear. I guess it’s weird now how this one event scared me even though crimes happen all the time in Oakland.
Maybe its because when I lived in Oakland, I never really felt that connected to the city, or at least the notion of it as a criminal hotbed. I lived in a secluded suburban area up in the hills, so I was not exposed to many of the harsh realities of my hometown. What I did know about crime in Oakland I had found out from watching TV, reading the newspaper, or hearing commentaries from friends and family. The second hand nature of my knowledge may have even desensitized me to it. On the other hand, I intend to visit a D.C. museum every week this summer, and I’ve never thought of Washington, especially the National Mall, as a dangerous area.
Random thought: You know what sounds interesting? Network certification and accreditation. I only know what turned up from a quick Google search, so don’t take my word about it, but it appears to be the computer version of accounting, which I’m also interested in. Instead of going over books of company finances and expenses, you go over reports of network usage, accessibility, and security.
Jackson
The big news on Wednesday of course was the shooting at the Holocaust Museum. I actually only found out about it at 2:30 in the afternoon when my supervisor said I could leave early to beat the subsequent traffic jams. The shooting really scared me. If the crime had occurred on a weekend instead of on a workday, there’s chance that I would’ve been at the Holocaust museum. For the past two weekends, I’ve gone to museums with Mitch (one of my fellow interns), and seeing how we are both part Jewish, it’s very likely we could have chosen the Holocaust Museum. And knowing how much Mitch likes museums, we probably would have stayed there all day as well. Finally, it only makes matters worse that the shooter is being treated at the George Washington University Hospital, the place where I board the metro to work every morning.
The weird thing is that I never really felt vulnerable to violence when I was growing up in the city of Oakland, California, which has a high crime rate. I remember walking to the Goodwill store once with my mom and brother when suddenly one guy pinned another guy against our parked car and started punching him in the face. My mom and brother immediately ran towards the store to find protection, and I remember how she was too discombobulated to even dial the police on her cell phone. I however felt detached, and all I could think was how my mom should turn on our car’s panic function. Even when my house was robbed three months ago (we weren’t home at the time), I never felt any sense of danger or fear. I guess it’s weird now how this one event scared me even though crimes happen all the time in Oakland.
Maybe its because when I lived in Oakland, I never really felt that connected to the city, or at least the notion of it as a criminal hotbed. I lived in a secluded suburban area up in the hills, so I was not exposed to many of the harsh realities of my hometown. What I did know about crime in Oakland I had found out from watching TV, reading the newspaper, or hearing commentaries from friends and family. The second hand nature of my knowledge may have even desensitized me to it. On the other hand, I intend to visit a D.C. museum every week this summer, and I’ve never thought of Washington, especially the National Mall, as a dangerous area.
Random thought: You know what sounds interesting? Network certification and accreditation. I only know what turned up from a quick Google search, so don’t take my word about it, but it appears to be the computer version of accounting, which I’m also interested in. Instead of going over books of company finances and expenses, you go over reports of network usage, accessibility, and security.
Jackson
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