Vanessa Salinas, Tracy Do, Nadine Tavera and Jason John see historical landmarks like this on a daily basis. I File photo/TheDailyCougar
Four Houston Cougars stood in the middle of a crowd of thousands at the 57th presidential inauguration to view the historical event.
Finance juniors Jason John, Tracy Do, management information systems junior Vanessa Salinas and finance senior Nadine Tavera attended a series of events during the inauguration from the Inauguration Parade to a poem presented by poet Richard Blanco, until the delivery of President Barack Obama’s speech.
“Besides the opportunity to hear (President) Obama’s wonderful speech, I enjoyed hearing all the artists perform. It was really crowded and took almost an hour to get there, but it was a great experience,” John said.
“As constituents of her district, the four of us were invited to Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s private watch party in her congressional office on Inauguration Day. I was so excited to be a part of history in the making.”
The four interns were selected through a rigorous application process, John said. It’s a full-time 12 to 14 week internship, which began at the beginning of January.
“The four of us were selected to intern in (Washington) D.C. at an agency or company of our choice after sending in a resume, transcript and personal statement. The fact that it was inauguration year was a bonus,” John said.
Students were assisted by the C. T. Bauer College of Business staff and Washington Intern Student Housing to discuss possible organizations they would be interested in working and find capitol housing locations that would provide them access to the Supreme Court, Library of Congress, national malls, museums and art galleries.
“The University of Houston’s Bauer College of Business has been phenomenal in guiding me through some of the biggest decisions of my career,” Do said.
Do will be interning at the Financial Services Roundtable in the Housing Policy Council. She plans to pursue a law career.
“The internship in (Washington) D.C. during this historical time is an honor and really opened my eyes up to the possibilities of finding a career that I am truly passionate about,” Do said. “Without a doubt, this program will build my experience in the corporate world. The opportunity to attend the inauguration was an honor, and I encourage students to take advantage of this internship in the future.”
Salinas wants to become a systems analyst for the government.
“Our cyber-space security is so vital in today’s society that I am excited to shape the beginning of my career at University of Houston,” Salinas said.
Salinas is working for the Financial Services Roundtable in the communications department and hopes to learn a lot more about our county’s governmental affairs, our economy’s health, but most importantly how to become a contribution to the U.S.
Tavera works at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — one building across from the White House, Tavera said.
“I work with a great team in the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion,” Tavera said. “My favorite part about (Washington) D.C. so far is witnessing the inauguration and being surrounded by so much history. The architecture and monuments are breathtaking.”
