This week in Team Gomez’s office, I had the opportunity to experience a little bit of everything. From attending the SAG-AFTRA strike outside Paramount Studios to hosting a passport fair, this week was filled with exciting moments. On the other hand, there were also days when barely anything was happening, tasks were sparse, and I had to find creative ways to keep myself busy. But whether I was busy running from one venue to another or doing mundane miscellaneous tasks around the office, it was yet another rewarding week with Team Gomez.
CLA Intern Angel Yuan attends a SAG-AFTRA strike with Congressman Gomez.
I started off my week by attending a SAG-AFTRA strike at Paramount Studios with the Congressman, which I had been hoping to attend at some point anyways. It was inspiring to see so many people turn out, even despite the heat and the dwindling media attention, and it was great seeing Congressman Gomez pull from his labor-organizing roots to rally the strikers and show his support. The member has been a strong advocate for unions, even leading 36 of his colleagues in Congress to affirm and respect workers' right to collective bargaining. Our district has a large population of SAG-AFTRA members, so I was happy to see the member go out into the community to show their support. Funny enough, Congresswoman Barbara Lee also happened to be at the strike at the same time, and it seemed like she and Congressman Gomez were long-time buddies.
Congressman Gomez and Congresswoman Lee at the SAG-AFTRA strike.
During the weekend, our office hosted a passport fair in Eagle Rock for constituents of the 34th district, which aimed to expedite the passport-renewal process for community members. Recently, our office has been responding to a high volume of passport-related requests, so this was a great opportunity for people looking to travel in the fall or winter to get their passports renewed. The day started bright and early at 7:30 am, and the fair lasted until around 1:30 pm, but the Congressman decided to take the entire team out for pizza afterwards at Town Pizza.
While I had previously interacted with the Congressman during other events and in the office, this was the first opportunity I had to sit down and chat with him in a more private setting. I had the chance to ask him about what he does in DC, pitch some communications ideas for his social media, chat about our experiences interning for his office, and even see his Spotify playlists (lots of Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, and Billie Eilish!). After the eventful lunch, the Congressman gave us a cute video shoutout on his Instagram story, and I made sure to tell everyone about it.
Congressman Gomez gives his summer district interns a shoutout on his Instagram.
Some days are also just slow, and you find yourself testing out crayons on a coloring book. Or maybe you’re tasked with counting how many crayon packages there are in a box so that they can prepare a sufficient number of supplies for a backpack giveaway (330 to be precise). Or maybe you’re racing to pick up the next incoming phone call just to have something to do. Not every day is action-filled and glamorous, but it all comes with the job, and I’m learning something every step along the way.
Some days you find yourself testing out crayons on a coloring book.
The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not reflect the views or positions of CAUSE or the CAUSE network.
Written by Angel Yuan, Leadership Academy 2023 Intern.
The CAUSE Leadership Academy (CLA) for students is a nine-week, paid, internship program that prepares college undergraduates to lead and advocate for the Asian Pacific Islander community on their campuses and beyond.