On an early morning in mid-July, Joe Martinez check his email. He finds an atypical message鈥攁n acceptance letter from the White House Initiative on (WHIEEH), a fall internship. WHIEEH鈥檚 mission is to eliminate 鈥渆ducational inequalities鈥� for Hispanics, from preschool through higher education.
When Martinez passes along the news to his father, he is overjoyed.
Martinez, on the other hand, has mixed emotions. He applied to the internship, in part, because his father had been suggesting he do so since his freshman year. As a major, Martinez had hesitated, though, because he didn鈥檛 see the immediate relevance to his field of study. 鈥淚t took some maturation of my own to see his advice held merit,鈥� he explains. So, he accepts the internship, even though it鈥檚 going to push back the rising senior鈥檚 graduation date a semester because a fall placement is the only way financial aid will cover the internship cost.
Martinez boards a flight to Washington, D.C., at the end of August. 鈥淭he only preparation I had was聽the first two seasons of 鈥楬ouse of Cards,鈥欌�� he jokes.
Beginning Day 1, he鈥檚 put to work鈥攃reating talking points for speaking events, crafting profiles of outstanding Hispanic teachers, attending meetings and events on behalf of the office.
This may seem like grunt work, but for Martinez it鈥檚 a wake-up call, showing him what many in the Hispanic community struggle with鈥攇etting a high-quality education, as well as the funds and resources to do so. He begins to appreciate more so why his father felt WHIEEH was so important.
With only days left in the internship, he decides to attend a college opportunity summit hosted by the White House and the .
Vice President Joe Biden steps up to share a personal story. He recounts his father pacing the driveway one afternoon with a disconcerted look in his eyes. His father had just found out that a bank denied him a loan鈥攖he funding that was to help him pay for his son Joe鈥檚 college education.
If that could happen to Joe Biden, how many potential vice presidents end up never getting a chance, wonders Martinez, realizing that 鈥渟ocietal barriers are holding back many minorities.鈥�
It solidifies with him that minorities need a voice, and he vows to continue being an activist for his heritage long after the internship ends.
鈥擲tephanie Magulick
