My name is Carolina Palacios I was born in Colombia and raised in Miami, Florida. I had heard about this incredible internship opportunity with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities while attending Florida International University were I joined a business Fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi.  Many of the members had done the (HNIP) experience and had such an amazing time they were encouraging everyone to apply. They kept sending group emails, and pictures at the White House at Capitol Hill and various workshops and forums. It kept motivating me to apply, plus I had never done an internship as an undergraduate, why not do one as a graduate student? It would be a good way for me to experience how people outside of Miami live, to grow on my own, increase my resume marketability and to see if the Federal Government would be a good fit for me. I decided to apply to the program and after submitting my application I got accepted for the Fall of 2007.

When I got to D.C it was a culture shock. Leaving Miami were more than 50% is Hispanic and getting used to a new area, not having a car, living with roommates, the metro system, living on a budget and cold weather was not easy, however from the first week I knew I liked it and that I wanted to stay. My boss and friends at the Environmental Protection Agency made the transition so much easier and made want to apply to the government. They were very helpful and eager to show me around. They helped me with my resume, showed me tips on how to apply and what to look for on USAJOBS. They gave the chance to attend workshops, luncheons and events to see what Washington had to offer. I had an amazing time. I met congressmen, got to go attend a congressional Gala, was part of a youth summit, and saw the proposal of a new bill that may impact the future of Hispanics getting into the Government’s Senior Executive Level.  During this time my boss and co-workers kept get sending opportunities to apply to the government, and encouraging me to keep at it. I started to apply to countless jobs, internships, co-op, student career programs and others. Finally the term ended and I had to go back home, after not hearing anything, I decided that there were still things I wanted to do in D.C., so I applied to HNIP again and came back for a Spring Term.

Before coming back, through the HACU alumni groups I learned about a federal career internship opening with the National Archives and Record Administration (NARA). I read about them, and thought the program would be very interesting so I applied. HACU sent me to Office of Personnel Management, were I deal with calculating budgets for their main expenses, organizing reports and creating a brochure for new employees to the Internal Control Department. It has been an incredible experience. While here I heard back from NARA, and they have decided to accept me as a Federal Career Program for two years as a program analyst. My program starts in May, and I am very excited. The only downfall is that I would have liked to have come back to HACU for the summer term. Yet this is an incredible opportunity that I have been given after many months of perseverance and dedication. Many nights of wondering what if this is not for me? Yet I know now that hard work pays off, I plan on giving my 100% to this, knowing that this door of opportunity would not have been possible without HACU and their National Internship Program.

Carolina Palacios
Internship at Environmental Protection Agency
From 8/20/2007 to 12/7/2007

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