Here comes October!!!
I love October so far! Not just because my birthday is coming up, but the work at Chwat & Co. is really challenging and exciting, my class keeps providing me with more ways to enjoy DC, I have networked with dozens of people, plus I am having a great time with the new friends I have made. I’m expecting October to get even better as time goes on.
I also had a chance to network with a number of Latino leaders during the annual Latino Leaders Network Luncheon. Soledad O’Brien from CNN was the keynote speaker and she spoke about how hard it was for her to work in a business where years ago the name “Soledad” was not a name people were familiar with in television, as well as her upcoming “Latino in America” book and CNN documentary. She also made the point that because of our sometimes mixed heritage, people try define us and how important it is not to let that happen. Many national Latino leaders from business and government gathered at the Capital Hilton Hotel for this event. I was able to have a word with the president of “La Raza” about the fate of immigration reform as well as with members of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights division who attended. At the end of the evening I was able to schedule some meetings with members from the Department of Education after speaking to them about my work with ENLACE Florida, an organization that works to improve education in Florida. The Washington Center mentioned networking was a big part of the whole D.C. experience and I am glad to have done my share of networking during that evening.
I’ve attended several Latino festivals in south Florida; back in Boca Raton we took students to Miami’s “Calle 8 festival” to show them a taste of the Latino culture in the U.S. On the last Sunday of September, I took the Metro's yellow line to Columbia Heights and found myself at the Fiesta DC 2009 festival. This festival really impressed me; it was well organized, with a mixture of vivid colors and music that ranged from Argentinean tango to Afro-Peruvian music...plus there was a choice of food from the Caribbean, Central and South America. Check out the pictures and video!
Recently, I was able to visit some monuments and memorials in the city. In just one afternoon I went to the WWII, FDR, Jefferson, Lincoln, Vietnam War and Korean War Memorials. Finishing the afternoon at the Lincoln Memorial was an extraordinary experience. As a student of history, you think about Lincoln’s lasting legacy in this country; then you look down and you see the place where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood as he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Images of the countless protest and demonstrations that have taken place begin to play in your head and for a moment there you try to take it all in. Quite an experience!
Lincoln Memorial and World War II Memorial
Networking in DC!
I also had a chance to network with a number of Latino leaders during the annual Latino Leaders Network Luncheon. Soledad O’Brien from CNN was the keynote speaker and she spoke about how hard it was for her to work in a business where years ago the name “Soledad” was not a name people were familiar with in television, as well as her upcoming “Latino in America” book and CNN documentary. She also made the point that because of our sometimes mixed heritage, people try define us and how important it is not to let that happen. Many national Latino leaders from business and government gathered at the Capital Hilton Hotel for this event. I was able to have a word with the president of “La Raza” about the fate of immigration reform as well as with members of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights division who attended. At the end of the evening I was able to schedule some meetings with members from the Department of Education after speaking to them about my work with ENLACE Florida, an organization that works to improve education in Florida. The Washington Center mentioned networking was a big part of the whole D.C. experience and I am glad to have done my share of networking during that evening.
CNN’s Soledad O’Brien and me
Latino Festival of Washington
I’ve attended several Latino festivals in south Florida; back in Boca Raton we took students to Miami’s “Calle 8 festival” to show them a taste of the Latino culture in the U.S. On the last Sunday of September, I took the Metro's yellow line to Columbia Heights and found myself at the Fiesta DC 2009 festival. This festival really impressed me; it was well organized, with a mixture of vivid colors and music that ranged from Argentinean tango to Afro-Peruvian music...plus there was a choice of food from the Caribbean, Central and South America. Check out the pictures and video!
Bolivian dances and Argentine tango
October just started, and if September is any indication, I'm sure that this month can be an even better experience if I do my best!
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