Leadership Minute

It's been a while since I've written on here, so I figured an update was in order. That being said, get ready for a rapid fire of things that I've done in the past few months.

Rewind back to September. I went on a walk to Lafayette park to sit and read for class, when I happened upon the first round of DACA protests in front of the White House. This was about a week before the administration announced it's intentions to end the program. When the announcement eventually came about, Dreamers and other's on their side turned up to raise awareness at the White House every single day. They haven't left since, and they have my full support. I attended the March for Racial Justice with a group of friends, and it was an incredible experience. We made the cover of the Washington Post. I'm still in shock by that, and I attached the picture at the enc.

In October, I started off the month with a trip to Toronto with Austin and Morgan and loved every second. That's such a cool town. Back in D.C, I met Ava Duvernay, the director of "Selma" and the documentary "13th" that focused on the 13th amendment, racial injustice, and mass incarceration in the United States. She is amazing and both of those are a must-see. I met one of my heroes, Congressman John Lewis, who marched with Dr. King at Selma and was one of the faces of the Civil Rights movement. He has fought so hard for justice in this country and that was one of the greatest days of my life. I attended a think-tank event where former Vice President Joe Biden was given an award and gave a speech. I sat one row back, right in front of him, and was in awe. Just an FYI though, his speech was not an acceptance speech... it sounded like a campaign speech- remember that and keep an eye out. 2020?

November wasn't the easiest month, as I mentioned in a previous post, but I got to see the musical "The Book of Mormon." I laughed so hard that I lost my voice and cried the whole time. No exaggeration. It was amazing. I later got to go back home for Thanksgiving, and seeing my family was just what I needed.

I took finals and wrote a dozen papers for the end of the semester in December. I had severe sleep deprivation (thanks NYU) but I made it through with all A's and an eye twitch that lasted two weeks. My dad came to move me out for the semester, and we explored a little of Baltimore and some of my favorite parts of Washington (and realized that I was not prepared for an actual Winter, unlike our snow one day and sunny and 75 the next day Southern winters that I miss dearly). Christmas and early January weren't crazy exciting, and I was more than okay with that. I slept, got free food, hung out with family and friends, and watched more movies than I'm proud of.

After a much needed break back home, I've returned to the busy (and cold) life of a college student in the District. As many of you know, I live and breathe politics. I hope to run for office eventually, but my competitiveness and addiction to fast-paced and high-stake work environments have made me especially interested in running large-scale political campaigns. My dad would say that that's the athlete and coaches kid in me. Oh well.

I also got to attend the Women's March upon returning to D.C. (this year's message was "march to the polls") . I got to see a number of my favorite Congresswomen after they spoke and my Feminist heart was exploding. I co-led the Women's Empowerment group at NYU last semester and have been a long term advocate for women's rights. After simply growing up as a female, and now working in a largely male dominated field (believe it or not, we are treated and seen differently than males among us), I'm even more appreciative of the movement and increasing awareness of gender inequality.

I began my current internship position last month with the House Budget Committee Democratic Staff through Congressman Yarmuth from Louisville, Kentucky. He's the only Democrat from the entire state that works in Washington, and sits as the ranking member on the committee. I wanted to work on the hill partially because I personally needed to see if i was capable of doing something like this for a living, and also because now is as good of a time as ever to fight for what you believe in. I could go on and on about this, but I'll leave you with just one important point- this is an election year. Go vote.

(I'm currently on the prowl for a Summer internship or campaign job, so I am shamelessly dropping this here in the hopes that someone may see this think of any potential positions!)

I love working on the Capitol Hill. While most people seem to be growing tired of politics and the people in Washington, I just can't get enough. I've gotten to attend multiple Senate and House committee hearings, including multiple that my office has planned, and have met dozens of my favorite and not-so-favorite congressmen and women. Today, I got to go to both the House and Senate galleries to watch debate and Nancy Pelosi's "leadership minute" on behalf of the fight to save the Dreamers.

For those that may not know, filibusters can happen in the Senate, but not the House; instead, Speaker Ryan and House minority leader Pelosi each have the ability to use their leadership ranking to speak whenever they want (usually for a minute). Pelosi took the floor at 10:04 this morning.... it's 5:20 right now and she's still sharing the stories of DACA recipients in the wake of the Senate's newly proposed two-year budget deal. It is officially the longest House speech since at least 1909 and most likely in history. (update: She stopped speaking sometime after 6 and finished with over 8 hours logged)

In other news, I finally figured out the metro system and transit opportunities to get to Maryland and Virginia, even though I head back to Kentucky in May and then New York City after that. I've got a feeling that I might end up in D.C. again one day, so the information might not be the worst to have stored away.

This past weekend, a few of my friends from the Kentucky YMCA were in town and I ran into a former Y-Corps teammate in the Capitol tunnel today. Kentuckians are still incredible and Kentucky continues to find me whenever I least expect it. I love that place with my whole heart.

There's not too much to add right now, seeing that I work, go to class, study, sleep, and repeat 24/7 right now, but I've got another post coming soon and this time it will be a little different than normal.

Until next time,

Mere

P.S. Now that it's public, I can officially congratulate Austin and Morgan for FINALLY getting engaged. You two are perfect for each other, you're my favorite people, and your support for me is more than I could ever ask for. I can't thank you enough for everything, I love you both, and I'm so ready for this wedding!

Washington Post picture