My organization and what I take with me from this internship

In the internship with the Board of Executive Clemency, I had to opportunity to learn foremost the legal process of parole, revocations, commutations and clemency. Prior to entering this internship I had absolutely no knowledge of this agency and how it worked. I have learned to work under conflicting leadership. Yet, the strengths of this organization is the very hardworking employees under her that allowed me and welcomed me to learn by asking and doing as much as I wanted to. I took advantage of every single opportunity to learn process, duties and responsibilities. I would definitely call it a positive learning experience of what to do and what not to do.

Three goals that I aimed to achieve in my internships at the beginning were:

1. Applying what I have learn in a real life setting.

2. Love the profession I have chosen to study and make a lifetime career from it.

3. Expand my knowledge of leadership while serving the public and maintaining their best interest in mind.

I believe I have met these goals because I am taking with me experience from different leaders in this agency. I understand and have better awareness how government agencies administer their agency and employees. I was very lucky that not only did I have the opportunity to see one leader, I had the opportunity to see 5 leaders at their best and worst.

I do plan to make a lifetime career working in federal agencies.

There is always room for improvement yet, my passion for public policy and public service, as well as public administration only got stronger. I do plan to work hard in public service and keep in mind that I am there for a purpose of serving others than myself.

Congressman Ruben Gallego's One Minute Speech on the Importance of a Deb...

Hello everyone! 

In one of the agencies that I intern, there will be an opportunity for us students at ASU downtown to attend. On Monday April 27, 2015 Congressman Ruben Gallego will host a speech on College debt at the POST Office RM 135 at 10:00 am. Hope you get a chance to attend this event. 

Importance of Debt-free college education

He touches on the fact that more and more students are getting into college debt because of high tuition costs. He is advocating for American students to have affordable education so that we can integrate onto society with a level of means so that we can contribute to economy by buying homes, cars or even starting a family. Student loan debt is a big issue in preventing future generations to obtain degrees and something must be done in Washington.

Hope to see you on Monday and support someone, regardless of party affiliation, is advocating and trying to protect of our generation from getting into student loan debt.

Symposium on racial justice

     On April 10th I had the opportunity to attend a forum offered by the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice call Racial Justice. It was held inside the Cronkite building from 1:15 pm to 3:00 pm. It was very interesting since the speaker lineup that were present, touched on racial problems that the state of Arizona is faced with. The topics were racial profiling, the use of taser guns, professional policing and proper training, and community perspective on overuse of police force .

     It was an information session and a focus on the factors that contribute to current social, racial and criminal justice issues. We had the opportunity to ask questions and get answers from very prominent professionals in these fields. I definitely left with a different perspective on what law enforcement have to face everyday when left with making decisions that affect the lives of many. I also had the opportunity to meet Sarah Buel, clinical professor of law and was very pleased with her input on racial justice. Also, several students from the School of Criminology gave great information on teens and violence and Ayensa Millan, an ASU law school graduate spoke on Arpaio and the issued we face with police and immigration in Arizona.

Interns in actions

Every month Arizona Department of Administration offers interns an opportunity to tour am public agency. I have had the opportunity to tour the Health Inspection building with department of health services, and the traffic control building with Department of transportation.

 I learned so much on how our traffic is monitored as well as accidents and all of the freeways or highways signs.

The employees at this agency went above and beyond to let us have hands on experience in how our Arizona Department of Transportation is handling our traffic to better serve the drivers.

TOUR OF THE CAPITOL

TOUR OF THE CAPITOL 

WE HAD A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO MEET REPRESENTATIVE CECI VELASQUEZ . she was gracious enough to give us a personal tour and introduce us to some of the over achievers representative that were still hanging out after a ardous well job well done passing bills.

we had a wonderful time and after the tour she allowed us to ask as many questions 

as we wanted in regards to legislature process. She is a very vivacious

and passionate representative and I  learned a lot. I have more 

respect for what this publi leaders do fo the citizens

that voted for them .

TOUR OF THE CAPITOL

Career Service Handshake to Hire

     I had the opportunity to attend the Handshake to Hire information and mentoring session offered by School of Public Affairs and ICMA Student Chapter, on Tuesday April 28, 2015 at 3:00 p.m.
They  had a panel of government HR Professionals coaching and mentoring us on how to interview better, review your resume and what not to do during your interview.

The agencies that were there were: Arizona City County Management Association, City of Mesa, City of Phoenix, City of Surprise, Fountain Hills City Council, Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC), Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), Maricopa County, State Of Arizona - Department of Administration, Town of Gilbert, U. S. Department of Commerce – US Commercial Service in Arizona, International Trade Administration, Valley of the Sun United Way, AND MORE. 
I had the opportunity to talk one on one with a coupe of managers and they had great insight on how I could sell myself and what to do prior to the interview.

It was a information pack session that explained the hiring process of each agency and how to make your resume stand out. One of the suggestions that had was to change your resume to better tailor the needs of the job, to write an updated cover letter and to write a thank you letter as a follow up.

The Strengths of My Organization

The strengths of my organization can be efficient in carrying out the obligations of the agency and it's mission and purpose:

The Board's Mission

The mission of the Arizona Board of Executive Clemency is to ensure public safety by considering and granting parole to inmates who are certified by the Department of Corrections and who appear not to pose a threat to society and recommending to the Governor only those executive clemency actions that are in the best interests of the citizens of Arizona.

The Board’s Purpose

The Board conducts monthly parole hearings for inmates who were convicted of offenses committed on or before January 1, 1994. Hearings may also be held to consider Work Furlough, Home Arrest, Absolute Discharge from Imprisonment or from Parole Supervision: Parole Rescission; and Parole Revocation requests. The Board also conducts hearings for clemency actions that include Pardon, Commutation of Sentence and Reprieve.

The agency's employees are thorough in their case gathering process to ensure that the Board Members have all the information that they need to make a fair decision for all of the citizens of Arizona. 

If I was in charge,are there any things I would do differently? 

If I was in charge, what I would do differently is to hold team meetings more often than the limited few they have today. I would communicate my vision of a changed agency, the process and buy in of the process, I would ask for constant feedback and make sure that the changes stick to our overall mission and purpose. I would communicate in a positive and consistent manner including communicating in way to make my followers feel validated, encouraged, supported, motivated and above all appreciated.

Public Service in my Oganization

     In the Department of Board of Executive Clemency we provide public service by attending to the needs of inmates, their families, the citizens of Arizona, and the Executive Board members. The board hearings and meeting are transparent and open to the public. No need for appointments of clearance in order to attend these meetings. Since the inmates might have a possibility to be released before their release time, the citizens are encourage to hear how their decision was made for or against release. The boards mission is to make sure that this inmate upon release will not be a threat to society.

     Urban Governance dictate that the agency must have accountability and transparency. The state agency I work for takes this duty very serious. Their responsibility is to fairness in enforcing laws, codes of conduct with all involved in the process, procedure and regulations clarification and specification or performance standards within the board and law representatives.


     The agency also allows for advocates for victims and advocates for inmates as well as family and friends to speak at hearings for or against the inmate.


Below you will find the Board of Executive Clemency Mission Statement.
The Board's Mission

The mission of the Arizona Board of Executive Clemency is to ensure public safety by considering and granting parole to inmates who are certified by the Department of Corrections and who appear not to pose a threat to society and recommending to the Governor only those executive clemency actions that are in the best interests of the citizens of Arizona.

Career Day

Last week was a very busy week. I had an awesome opportunity to help intern colleagues work the Internship Fair at Arizona State University West Campus. It was great to be on the other side of the table and be able to answer fellow students questions as well.
Question raised were from students that have never registered for internship. Some of the questions included were, how do I like what I do? What are my skill and abilities? Have a learned anything?
It was awesome because it make me realize just how much I have learned in my internships. I love what I do and I love to work doing community outreach for this organization.
A lot of students were present during this fair, as well as a lot of employers that are eager to hire and give information on how to obtain a job with their agency. The qualifications that they were explaining are crucial to succeed in applying for jobs or job hunting. I learned a lot during this fair and I am so excited to be able to share my experiences with students that are in the position I was last semester, undecided of where to intern.

Cesar Chavez Celebration

I had the opportunity to attend the Cesar Chavez breakfast celebration. Not only was the food so good, but the show was spectacular. Cesar Chavez was a huge advocate  and labor organizer as well as a civil rights activist. He fought for farm workers to have water, restrooms and fair treatment and pay for all farm workers. If you have not had the opportunity to see the movie version of his life, I recommend you doing so, it is very inspiring.
The breakfast was filled with most of Phoenix Arizona's representatives. We also had the honor to meet the Chairman of the Tohono O'odham Nation, Dr. Ned Norris, J. His speech was very moving and inspirational. He spoke on how all politicians need to work together for the betterment of the whole state. He also made it very clear that regardless of our political affiliation or beliefs, the job of public officials was to act on behalf of those that elected them to improve our beautiful state. Unity is what will bring Arizona to the top of development and innovation.