I was introduced to my host office, AltaMed, this past week. When I got there, I had to take a quick temperature check and survey before going up to the third floor. As my supervisor led me to the office space, I was amazed and awed by the many paintings on the wall. I would soon learn that these paintings hold significant meaning to the Latinx community in California. As I came upon my desk, I noticed that there was a flower waiting for me which gave me a warm welcome to the Government Affairs team!
Afterwards, my supervisor, Olivia Lee, told me that I would be working with two teams this summer - the Government Affairs and Civic Engagement. Although I would be working primarily with the Government Affairs, I would also be assigned some tasks from the Civic Engagement team. She then told me about the differences between these two teams. Based on our conversation, the Government Affairs team primarily focuses on health related policies and working with Congress representatives to ensure that these policies are passed. On the other hand, the Civic Engagement team is more geared towards direct engagement with community members and getting out the vote.
Next, I attended a meeting between these two teams. It was then that I learned how collaborative each team was with each other. Through the meeting, I learned more about what the Civic Engagement team did and why their work is important. Some of the things they did recently were canvassing, phone banking, digital media work, and others. I thought this was amazing because I did not know that AltaMed, a health organization, would have a team focused on getting the vote out. Also, I thought it was cool that they were working with other health related organizations in getting them to be more involved in civic engagement.
Overall, both teams are collaborative in the way that their work both support each other. For example, the Civic Engagement team goes out to help people register to vote and educate community members on the importance of taking part in elections. Likewise, the Government Affairs team researches and lobbies policies to Congress representatives. At the end of the day, both works are meaningful and impactful in similar, as well as different, ways.
Moreover, I was given a small task to work with during this first week. I basically had to search up a Congress representative that AltaMed usually works with and update their information. Some of the information that I was updating was their address, contact information, and staffers. I had a lot of fun doing this because I think it is valuable in getting to know more about who is representing a specific district in California.
Ultimately, my first week with AltaMed was great! I was able to learn what work both teams did and had one on one with each of the team members. In fact, through these individual meetings, I was able to learn more about each team member. They gave me helpful advice on my career search and warmly encouraged me to continue working hard. I am very happy that I was placed with AltaMed this summer!