Angelica Garcia: Blogs

Social Responsibility & "Accidents"

Meeting with Congressman Grijalva on Friday was an amazing end to a great week. I really enjoyed listening to his story on how he got involved in politics and how he is where he is today. He stated that it all happened by accident. That concept of “accident” is truly foreign to me. My philosophy has always been that everything always needs to be planned. There was no way to succeed unless there was a step by step plan which would direct me to my goal. He was in Tucson, Arizona and he wanted to conduct an “experiment” to make a point. So, he ran for Tucson School District School district board trying to see that even though things were executed exactly the way an election was supposed to be conducted, a Hispanic would never win a seat on the board. To his surprise he won the seat and that is where his political life began. Even though the actual position on the board was an “accident” per say, his intentions were good. He felt that he had a social responsibility to reveal the flaws in the system, which I believe is something all leaders should do at some point or another. His story ignited a little fire in me. Before this week, if someone were to have asked me what my plan for my life was, I would be able to tell you every detail that I had been planning for years. After hearing Rep. Grijalva speak and other events which occurred this week, I just don’t know anymore. Everything happens for a reason, right? That’s what I have always thought. Even though you think you know what you are doing, maybe an “accident” will happen that will guide you in a completely different direction that will ultimately lead you to an amazing life you never thought of before. Rep. Grijalva did not plan his political life. Because of the “accident” however, he has been involved with the process that affects everyone in this country and all over the world. He took his social responsibility to the Latino community and transformed it into something great. I can only hope that something like that happens to me. I recently learned that things do not always go as planned, but that’s okay. “Accidents” happen. It is not a bad thing.

On a somewhat side note (which kinda relates to what I’ve been ranting about), I went to Chinatown this week. We had planned to go to a restaurant, but we ended up going to this other random one. We had dinner and at the end, the waiter brought us our fortune cookies and I picked one up. For some reason though, I didn’t want that one, so I put it back and got another one. When I opened it up, my fortune read “Perceived failure is oftentimes success trying to be born in a bigger way”. The magnitude of that little paper tucked into that delicious cookie did not hit me until last night and now, I cannot stop thinking about it. To be a leader, I believe once must embrace their social responsibly to make change, reveal flaws, or speak out against things going on in the community. A leader must have a plan in mind, but also go with the flow with “accidents” happen. As a leader, I think I grew stronger this week. I am more determined than ever to go back to my community and become actively involved in embracing my social responsibility and encouraging others to do the same. Though I may not have a step by step plan anymore, I have a goal in mind. I will welcome the hurdles I have yet to face, and the inevitable “accidents” that I know will lead me to where I need to be.

Week One: First Week in Washington, DC

First week in DC…hmm…well it was nothing that I could have ever expected. I arrived late so I kind of felt as if I was at a disadvantage because the other interns had the opportunity to tour the capitol and take part in the photo shoot. I did not let that bother me for long, though. I jumped right in to orientation on Wednesday and began my week as a CHCI intern. We had some people speak to us about different things regarding their professional lives as a Latino, a writing workshop, CHCI alumni members, and the Latino Smithsonian Center. My favorite of the presentations was when Dan Restrepo, Senior Advisor for Western Hemisphere at National Security Council, spoke to us. He talked about what lead him to where he is today and gave us some advice about trying to plan our lives. He advised not to have a plan. We should just embrace the opportunities that come our way and though it may not seem like the best one or the highest paid at the time, it will eventually lead to another opportunity that you may not have ever thought about. My absolute favorite part of the week was when we went to the ropes course. I was a little uneasy about the whole situation since I am not the most physically fit person and I am afraid of heights. I went into it with an open mind just telling myself that I probably will not have another opportunity to do something like this, so I have to do it. It ended up being an experience that I will never forget. We had a lot of team building exercises that allowed us to work together, practice our leadership abilities, and learn to communicate with everyone to complete a task. The changing moment for me was when I walked the catwalk that was high off the ground. Never had I put myself in such an uncomfortable situation. It was out of my comfort zone but I knew I needed to do something like that if was ever going to grow as a person and as a leader. I did it, but the most difficult part was falling back off the catwalk, trusting my other group members to lower me back to the ground safely. Sometimes, it is hard for me to trust myself. I did not know how I was expected to trust people that I had met the day before. It was a huge struggle. I succeeded, not before a few tears were shed of course. It was a rewarding experience. After that, I felt like I could do anything. I ended the day with riding a zip line and feeling so absolutely proud of myself. This week overall, helped me realize a lot about myself, my fellow interns, and the CHCI program in which I am so blessed to have been chosen to participate in.