Kendra Ulrich: Hill Journal Entries

Advocacy student and Progressive Caucus Fellow

July 2011

The Congressional Progressive Caucus Fellowship has provided me with a unique and rich learning opportunity. I have been in Washington, DC, for six weeks and will be here until late August. During my time here, I have been working closely with the CPC Executive Director Andrea Martin to develop the CPC Energy and Environment Task Force. I have helped to identify key members of the CPC to recruit to the task force, created a policy agenda proposal for them, and suggested potential briefings to educate the members on several environmental and energy issues. By the end of the summer, I hope to have built a strong and engaged membership, ensured that committed environmental advocates are chairing the task force, and facilitated several briefings for members.

The Congressional Progressive Caucus has also recently launched the “Speakout for Good Jobs Now” tour. This tour is an opportunity for CPC members to speak directly to citizens suffering from unemployment and underemployment. The focus of this tour is to bring attention to the one action that will most help to stimulate our lagging economy: the creation of well-paying, good jobs. Congressman Grijalva, the Co-Chair of the CPC, has invited me to attend an event anywhere in the country as a part of his Congressional Staff. I am very excited for this opportunity!

My other work so far has included helping to write letters to constituents on environmental issues and attending Committee hearings on various pieces of environmental legislation. I plan to work in environmental advocacy upon graduating from AUNE, and this experience has helped me to better understand our legislative system. Consequently, I will be a more effective advocate in the future because of the insights I have gained into the creation of public policy.

This CPC Fellowship has provided me with invaluable experience and key insights that will provide a lifelong benefit in my future work.