Internship Journal #6

Hi, once again to all those interested. Today I spent some time organizing the site a bit. On the left margin of the site, you will all find the archives of earlier journal entries. Click on these to find other entries, i.e. my personal statement or how I became involved in this internship. Also, on the left margin are links to political science websites that are an integral part of researching information regarding the subject. I also established an automatic Google search for the words: Senate, House of Representatvies, White House, Government, and Supreme Court, this will make searching for current events much easier. I put a pic of my husband and I, because I like looking at it, so ya'll can comment on it, or not. It is just there for my own enjoyment.

Internship Journal #5

Wow, I am off to study at CSU-Monterey Bay soon, I always am concerned about the age difference between the other students and myself. I have only had one group of young people not like me very much and it all stemmed from my U.S. History class at Butte College. It began with a debate about war and ended with a debate about the Iraq war, in particular. She and I were not aligned ideologically on this issue and the debate was ended by the professor, Christine Trolinger. I still drop by her office to check in and tell her about my adventures in learning. **professors become a great resource in future endeavors.

I digress, the same young lady was in my Congress class and our young men are still at war. I was not certain it was her, until I overheard an ideological type conversation occurring in the hallway and then I was certain it was her. I stopped going to class early, I got there right on time. I avoided her in this way and it seemed to work. I used the time to sit and read a few more minutes before class. I have not had any other problems with classmates and I am certainly hoping I get along well with the other interns. More of a concern is feeling I am the dumbest person in the room. I do not want to be the dumbest person in the room --EVER!!!

Tomorrow is Jaymi's 17th birthday and we do not even know where she is…we have been concerned about her for so long, I sometimes wake up in the mornings and cannot remember if she is missing or in someone's custody. Maybe someday I can help affect laws that will help other parents like me and Charlie. We have been through the wringer with Jaymi's illness looming over our heads each day; wondering where to turn next for help; losing employment; having meeting after meeting; creating plan after plan -- all while applying myself as a fulltime student. Jaymi will not be with us for her birthday, as she has been on the run since August 11. Friends and acquaintances, alike, have sighted her, but the authorities have not bothered to pick her up. I would go and find her, but she wouldn't get in my car. She would actually throw a fit on the side of the road if I tried to put her in the car. I will not fight with her anymore, so I follow my plan when I see her. I call the 24hour number and let them know I have seen her. When she is in these manic phases, I set her off, so I avoid this by following my plan. Some people would allow their children to go and do as they please, but Jaymi does not have the ability to differentiate between those people that may want to harm her and those people that want to help her. So, she will go with anyone that will take her where she wants to go. Next week, "TEAM Jaymi" will be holding a meeting and if all goes well, Jaymi will be found and sent to a residential treatment school in, Utah. This is the last resort on the part of our family to try and help our daughter. I love her very much and hope that one day she can, once again, become an active citizen in our community.

I am also concerned about my husband, Charlie. I hope that he can function without me there with him. He is always asking me to scratch his back and rub his shoulder. He loses things and he is famous for wondering where the puppy went. He left our other dog at his friends, grandma's house overnight one time. He did not even realize until it was time to feed the dog that it was missing. I hope he remember to feed the fish, we've had them for a while, so I'd like to keep them. He just started classes at Butte College and I hope he remembers to do his homework. I hope he can pay the electric bill, he leaves lights on, all over the house. I love my Charles though, he is a wonderful man!! He helped me get this far though college and he has stuck by Jaymi, even though he is stepdad. His family has taken me in as one of their own and that is certainly another reason to love Charlie. We have been through more together than a couple should have to bare, and we are still in the midst of many issues and concerns, however, we always make it through and I keep telling him that one day we will laugh about ours cars breaking down, living with friends and other odd locales, along with eating pancakes for dinner because that is all we had. I love Charlie, he's the greatest and the best friend I have.

We are going dancing Saturday night, the 1st, to celebrate my internship. I hope many of our friends turn out. We really like this band and are looking forward to dancing our little tails off. If you like to dance and want to say "god speed" come on out to Pigg's Pubb on Meyers in Oroville. It should be a fun night. The Daniel Traverse Band, from Chico will be playing and they are really magnificent musicians. They play NEW country rock and they can really rock out. Even if you don't dance DTB are great to watch as well.

Until next time, Eliza

Internship Journal #4

I went to Butte College today to give presentations to Cynthia Bynoe's Political Science classes. I had a great time; the students were very attentive and had plenty of thoughtful questions for me to answer. I created a presentation on Power Point, feel free to check it out again. I hope to be hearing from many of you during this semester. Feel free to ask me questions about what you are studying in class, or info about where you might research for specific information. Thanks for having me come and giving me this added opportunity, Cynthia. By the way, here are the links I promised you all would be added to my page.

Links:

United States House of Representatives

United States Senate

info regarding bills in Congress

Panetta Institute for Public Policy

To my mentors, friends, and family that visit this site, I would really like to hear from you as well. I hope that you will visit frequently and let me know you have. I do not see who has visited, unless they comment.

I am getting very excited and nervous about my abilities to live up to all of the combined expectations of all of you. The only real expectation I have for myself is to learn as much as I can about the compromise that goes into creating the laws of our country. Observing compromise and trying to understand it. I do not believe as many people do that, "they (D.C. politicians) are all crooks!" I have learned that Congress members have many jobs, but their most important is twofold: 1. to work in the best interest of the constituent and the local district, because they are our voice in the nations Capital. 2. to create federal laws that are in the best interest of the country as a whole. This being said the compromise becomes much more difficult when the Administration or Executive branch is of one political party and the Legislative branch is of another. This is the point in which out country stands, today. I look forward to understanding more about why members make the decisions they do. Professor Dwyre's Congress class has been an immense help in my understanding of these issues and I am looking forward to seeing the Congress at work -- up close.

Until next time,

Elizabeth

***For those of you in the 12:30 Political Science class, it worked, I figured it out!!! YIPPEEE!!!! i.m. me!!

Spreading, the News!

Hello again to all those interested. This is a picture of me from the Oroville Mercury-Register, it was published on June 11, along with a very nice article about me. Since my last entry, I have attended the final board meeting of the year for the Butte College Foundation to announce my internship and from that I have been interviewed several times for local papers. The Gridley Herald, the Chico News and Review, along with the Mercury-Register. The other day, Diana Dwyre emailed me to let me know I had also been in the Chico Enterprise-Record. The board of the Butte College Foundation has been very supportive of me, so I thought I should let them know. I was asked to come to the board of directors meeting to make this announcement. I would like to thank the board for the t-shirt that I intend to wear on many occasions in D.C.

I am also a student with a disability and as such, I am a client of the Department of Vocational Rehab and my counselor has been very supportive of my internship and was able to get me the funding to purchase business clothing for the internship. I had a great time trying on clothes at two stores and having Charlie (my husband) say to me over and over, "that looks great, honey!" I tortured him and took him shopping on father's day!! Thank you so much, honey, for being so patient and loving to me!!!! I love you very much!! We chose some really nice clothing along with some shoes and Carla, my Voc. Rehab. counselor sent me to Penney's to buy my clothing. I am so happy about the clothes that I now own. I will certainly have a good wardrobe for D.C. and the first couple of years of the business world after I graduate next spring.

My mother shared some of her two dollar bills with me to purchase a luggage set, so that I so not have to carry my things to D.C. in a bag! Thanks Mom!! I really like my new luggage. I promise to take good care of it!

I received my information from the Panetta Institute on Thursday and I was really excited to get more information. I check in at CSU-Monterey Bay on September the 9th at 2pm and we will have two weeks of intensive training. The Panettas are both integral parts of this training and they bring in political experts from many areas of government to speak in the many seminars in Monterey and in D.C. I am looking forward to learning more about our government from these interesting political experts. During our time in Monterey all of the interns will tour the Monterey Bay Aquarium during a scheduled field trip. On September 22, we will all travel together by coach to the San Jose Airport to leave for Washington D.C. for our time as congressional interns.

Going to Washington D.C. is becoming more real by the day, although sometimes I still just sit and wonder if I can live up to the expectations of those that believe in me.

Until next time,

eliza

The Personal Statement

I was taught as a child that one person can make a difference in this country. Luckily in the years since then, I have found this to be true. As an adult I have had the opportunity to work in many fields in which one person can make the difference in the lives of others. I have worked with community and nonprofit organizations that provide services for underrepresented populations, and I see a need in providing additional services for these communities. As a member of a community service organization I had the opportunity to become the state Governmental Affairs Program Manager and accumulate valuable experience as a leader. Furthermore, since coming to CSU, Chico as a student I have taken advantage of several leadership opportunities. The idea that "one person can make a difference" is not a new theory to me. For many years, I have hoped for an opportunity to intern in Washington, D.C. so that I could more substantially contribute to the betterment of our country. As a young mother living in Georgia, I felt compelled to join a community service organization and donate my time to help my local community. Our local chapter held a festival that attracted 250,000 people to our community, which in turn boosted the local economy. The money raised from the festival was used to purchase Christmas presents and food baskets for families in need and paid for scholarships given to high school students. On the state level, I attended several sessions of Model Legislature and was the program manager on one occasion. This state governmental training tool stressed the importance of government in all areas of life. In Model Legislature, members are encouraged to write bills and submit them for approval during the legislative session. Held in the actual house and senate chambers of the Georgia General Assembly, the top five bills that come out of conference committee are submitted to the general assembly. Several laws in the state have come from these model sessions. For instance, the so called "drive-thru" maternity wards ban, donor cards on the back of driver's licenses, and the installation of an extending arm on the front bumper of all school buses in the state to promote safety. I was honored to have the opportunity to teach others the importance of the legislative process and to participate as a citizen of my local community. The Panetta Internship is another opportunity for me to actively participate as a citizen. After participating in the internship, I will return to CSU, Chico to express to fellow students the importance of their voice being heard as constituents and as citizens. Since arriving at CSU, Chico, I have taken Margaret Gunnell's Alternative Dispute Resolution class, which has given me an understanding of negotiation that is a skill in high demand in Congress. As a student at CSU, Chico I testified before the Higher Education Committee of the California Assembly regarding a change in the funding of CalGrants. Thankfully, the bill that I testified for, A.B. 2813 passed through committee unanimously and became law in September of 2006. I have also completed Professor Stanley's Civil Rights/Civil Liberties course, which has given me insight regarding issues frequently discussed in Congress. I am presently enrolled in Diana Dwyre's Congress class. I now have a better understanding of the relationship of the "two Congresses" and why negotiation is such an important skill. Currently, I am the Coordinating Editor of Production for Studium and as such, the organizational right hand to Sharon Barrios. These classes and others have not only given me analytical, negotiating, editing, and organizational skills, but they have also given me the qualifications and esteem to be the CSU, Chico Panetta Congressional Intern. I realize there is not simply one person in Washington making a difference in our lives, ultimately, however, one person has the idea to create each piece of legislation and one person has to answer to his or her constituents back home. Working for a member of the House of Representatives as a Panetta Intern would be an amazing experience for me. My qualifications working in Georgia and at CSU, Chico paired with my experiences as a member of several underrepresented communities make me an excellent candidate for this internship. I would treasure the opportunity to go to Washington, D.C. where I would not only represent these communities, but also CSU, Chico as an ethical and upstanding student citizen. No other internship is fully funded to allow any student to participate, and this makes the Panetta Internship an opportunity of a lifetime for me.

The Question

Several weeks ago, the chair of the Political Science Department at California State University, Chico, where I am a senior student, asked me if I knew anything about the Panetta Institute's Congressional Internship. I knew the name Leon Panetta, but knew nothing about the internship. She explained the internship and the application process, asked me several questions about my family and how they would feel about me going to Washington D.C. for so long. I told her that they would be proud and that they have told me that if I had an opportunity like this, in the words of my husband Charles, "Go For It!" Professor Dwyre proceeded to take me to the political science office and give me an application. I spent the next week writing my personal statement and gathering materials for intern application packet. The personal statement was to include: information as to why I want to become a congressional intern, and why I feel I am qualified for the position. And the packet was to also include: a letter of recommendation from a member of the faculty, as well as, an copy of my transcript, and a current resume. The packet complete and delivered, I began to become nervous and excited about the prospect of going to Washington, D.C. as an intern! In my nervousness, I kept saying to myself, "You are a 42 year old woman, what are you thinking, Elizabeth?" I did not have long to wait for the word to come, it was official the day after the application deadline. My husband and I had an interesting experience on the way to the banquet where we received the news. The car overheated and at one point Charlie was in a ditch filling jugs of water to put in the radiator. We limped our way to the banquet and the car was able to cool down for awhile. I was quickly given the news: I am the CSU, Chico, Panetta Institute Congressional Intern for 2007. I could think of nothing else for several days and the news is finally sinking in my brain. I was so excited, I could barely concentrate and completing class work was next to impossible, EVEN for Congress class! This is not just any intership! The Panetta Institute fully funds each intern in the program, for more information about the specifics of the internship, check out: http://www.panettainstitute.org/. I have created this blog to keep my friends, family, and mentors informed about what I am doing while in Washington, D.C. In addition, I have created this blog to be a log of: the journey I will be taking, the experiences I will be having, and the people I will have the opportunity to meet. Photographs and internet links will be included, when they are available, and I will try to make the blog as interactive as possible - for those that don't like to, just read!! I have named my blog, Mrs. Graham Goes to Washington, because I am one of those people!! (Have you seen Mr. Smith lately; always a good show??!!) I am thankful for my friend and personal editor, Amanda, without whom I am certain my statement would not have been as compelling. And Sharon, thank you for your support and unfailing belief in my abilities. To all my friends, family, and mentors that may be reading this blog, I welcome you to my blog and thank you for your support during this most exciting time in my life. I invite you to reply to my blog, let me know how you are doing, and ask me any questions you may have. I will try to find time to post several times throughout the week as the time draws nearer and while in Washington, I hope to post more often. Until next time, eliza