Artifacts

Canadian Parliament Internship

On May 12, 2017, I moved to Ottawa to begin my five weeks interning with a member of the Canadian House of Commons. While there, I had the incredible fortune of working in the office of the Honourable Don Davies. As an intern, I got to conduct research on federal health policy, analyze election results, write parliamentary statements, and correspond with constituents.

The most impactful part of my time in Ottawa was the confidence that I gained. Going into my internship, I was struggling to create a concrete career goal. While I had interned at the Ohio Statehouse earlier in the year, I was still having a very difficult time imagining myself working a 9-5 job and enjoying it. I had changed majors during my freshman year, leaving behind my pre-medicine track, and everything that I had originally planned for myself. Throughout my sophomore year, I really worked on getting my bearings in my new public affairs major in addition to my public health major. I knew that I wanted to eventually work in civil service. Yet, I still struggled throughout the year to feel confident in this new path. My experiences and the passion that I found I had for the work I was doing reassured me that I am moving in the correct direction.

My work, the people I worked with, and the beautiful city of Ottawa all had a huge impact on me in finding my confidence. There was a “jack of all trades” aspect of the work I was doing. This was especially true of my research. Mr. Davies is the New Democratic Party’s Critic for Health for the the first session of the 42nd Parliament. Consequently, Mr. Davies represented his party on the Standing Committee for Health. Throughout my time in Ottawa, I did much of the background research preparing for these committee meetings. This allowed me to gain a breadth of working knowledge on a wide variety of issues. These ranged from Lyme disease to antimicrobial resistance. It required that I understand Canadian law and regulations related to these topics and present my research in a concise manner. I found that I love digging into new material. It was incredibly gratifying to see the way that my research was translating into potential new policies that could positively impact the health of Canadians.

Throughout my time on Parliament Hill, I met incredible people. The passion for pubic service that I saw astounded me. Not only did I enjoy working with my mentors and supervisors, I found a home in my office. It may have only been five weeks, but I learned how to build strong professional relationships quickly. This paid off. It allowed those in my office to trust me with important work. Throughout my time as an intern, I regularly received high praises from those that I worked with. This reinforced the confidence that I was already gaining from my love of my work.

Finally, Ottawa, with its history and sights, provided me with a new home. The combination of an incredibly positive and productive work environment with a city that I quickly grew to love allowed me to thrive.  Ottawa gave me the chance to explore, giving me an extra boost of confidence and reminding me of my love for new places.

 

This experience was an incredible new chapter for me. Already, it has motivated me to apply for a new internship for the coming semester, working on a local politician’s reelection campaign. It has give me the knowledge that I am gathering the skills necessary to succeed in the work that I hope to do. Finally, it has given me the confidence to continue to pursue my goal of working in civil service.

Capitol Hill Days 2017

Advocacy and Lobbying on Capitol Hill

For the second year in a row, I got the opportunity to attend Population Connection Action Fund’s Capitol Hill Days in Washington, D.C. This three-day conference culminates in a lobbying day with our Congress members. The educational sessions and lobbying focus on American global public health policies, especially women’s health policies. Because I am originally from Pennsylvania but go to school in Ohio, I ended up with five lobbying meetings. These meetings ranged in size from eighty people to just myself meeting with a representative of my PA U.S. Representative.

Additionally, because I was a returning participant, I was chosen to lead the eighty constituent meeting with representatives from Senator Sherrod Brown’s office. This meant that I began and ended the meeting in addition to helping run our planning session. I put on the spot, but I really enjoyed this small leadership opportunity. All of my meetings went very well. In addition to learning and lobbying, I got to see the cherry blossoms blooming in D.C. for the first time and explored more of my favorite city!

This incredible experience touched on two of the Honors and Scholars G.O.A.L.S: Global Awareness and Leadership Development. My favorite thing about public health and public affairs is that they work on a small local level or they can work towards making huge global changes. In this case, I was lobbying for increased funding for women’s health internationally. Today the world is so small that something my local Congress member votes on can impact the life of a woman and her family hundreds of thousands of miles away. Increasing this kind of understanding of the significance of our actions will help us to create a healthier, more compassionate, and peaceful world. My experience suddenly becoming a group leader gave me more confidence in my leadership skills. Confidence is key to developing as a leader. Even if you know all of the right things to do, if you don’t lead with confidence, you’ll never be the best leader you can be. I am incredibly thankful for my time at Capitol Hill Days, and I hope to return next year.

 

Volunteering with Hillary for Ohio

The first presidential campaign that I can remember is George Bush versus John Kerry in the 2004 election. I was in second grade. My elementary school had a table set-up in front of the gym with two boxes where we could vote. We all thought that it was very important even though our teacher had explained that only adults could actually vote.

Fast forward twelve years: George Bush served another term as president, President Obama is finishing his second term, Hillary Clinton is the first women to be a major party’s presidential nominee, Donald Trump is clashing with the Republican Party’s establishment, and I am getting ready to vote for president for the first time. My interest in politics grew out of a love of history and fascination with current events. It was fed by the debates in the kitchen with my grandparents, the my grandmother’s of marching in the 1960s, and the car conversations with my mom about the news on the radio. I’m incredibly thankful that adults in my life gave me the opportunity to discuss politics, express my opinions, and question my preconceived notions. Without that support, I do not believe that I would be having the experiences that I am now.

Last night, I had the incredible opportunity to volunteer with Hillary for Ohio when Hillary Clinton came to speak on Ohio State’s campus. The diversity of people attending the event was inspiring. The kindness and well wishes of attendees towards the volunteers were heartwarming. The enthusiasm of over 18,000 people joined together for one cause was exhilarating.

Hillary Clinton speaking at Ohio State during the 2016 Presidential Campaign

I have a class in which we discuss public service and civic engagement at length. Volunteering last night gave me the opportunity to see principles of civic engagement, particularly political engagement, in practice. I was surrounded by volunteers from all walks of life who chose to take the time out of their busy schedules to advocate for a cause to which they are dedicated. Like the volunteers, attendees also took time out of their schedule to see one of our candidates for president. Everyone at the event got the opportunity to listen to Secretary Clinton without the filter provided by the media and immediately form their own opinions and notions. It represented the importance of creating a positive environment in which people can engage with their leaders, gain information freely, and express their views.

Throughout the event, I spent nearly five hours registering voters, encouraging attendees to volunteer for “Get Out the Vote” campaigns, and taking in the energetic atmosphere. Of course, there were protestors, but the words that truly stuck with me were spoken by a woman in the crowd after Secretary Clinton finished speaking:

As soon as the applause died down, other volunteers and myself immediately started encouraging people to register to vote.

The women said, “You keep doing the good work!”

Keep doing the good work. That is what drives me and so many others who wish to pursue a career in public service. While the world may focus on the negative political climate, scandals, and controversial policies, there will always be people working everyday to keep doing the good work to ensure that everyone in this great nation has the opportunity to thrive.

Artifacts

Artifacts will be a place for pictures and memories that shouldn’t be forgotten. The journey through Ohio State is incredible. Hopefully, some of the magic that makes this university amazing will be captured here.