Congressional Hispanic internship proves an eye-opener - 10.2.07

Brownsville, Texas— In his blue polo shirt and khaki shorts, Michael Vargas looks like a regular 20-year-old.
But contrary to appearances, Vargas recently finished a congressional internship on Capitol Hill, which landed him a series of interviews with the BBC.
“Who would have thought,” was all Vargas could say about the BBCmundo article and BBC radio and video interviews.
Much more than this newfound international attention, Vargas’ story is about perseverance.
Two months before the start of his senior year at San Benito High School, Vargas had to cope with the death of his father.
Vargas said he still remembers conducting the band — he was the drum major his senior year — and having the principal walk over to offer his condolences.
“He told me his father also passed away when he was 17,” Vargas said. “It was the best thing to hear at the time ... knowing that you’re not alone and that someone knows what you’re going through.”
That year was hard for him socially and academically.
“I just told myself that things happen for a reason,” he said. “But, now more than ever I feel that I have to do things he could never do.”
Vargas, now a first-generation college student at Brown University, said his high school counselor was “the key” as far as applying to schools and scholarships.
“She practically force-fed me applications, but that’s what I needed,” he admitted.
Studying so far away from home is sometimes hard for his family.
“Thankfully, my family knows why I can’t always come home for the holidays,” he said.
Is he happy with his choice in school?
“I love Brown, wouldn’t be anywhere else,” he said noting how he teared up with only the admission letter.
Vargas will double major in political science and sociology, something that may prepare him for his “ultimate dream” job — being a congressman for the Rio Grande Valley.
“(Running for office) is something that felt so distant once, but finally is starting to solidify,” Vargas, a two-time intern at U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz’s office, said.
“Last year, I mostly dealt with constituent mail and tours, but this year (I) got there in the middle of the Iraq and immigration debates,” he said, his face instantly lighting up.
This past summer, as a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute intern, Vargas was able to see the legislative system first hand.
“At first, it was hard hearing people almost 3,000 miles away talking about what I see in my backyard,” he said, referring to the Senate debating an immigration bill that never passed.
“The worst was hearing senators saying things like ‘if I could round them all up and throw them out, I’d do it myself,” he said. “But I learned to stay objective.”

The Brownsville Herald