The strangest part about seeing the U.S. Capitol for the first time was how normal every sidewalk felt. I’ve seen the historical monument in textbooks and the news my whole life, but standing in front of it transformed the building into something I could grasp.
That feeling has followed me during my first few days in Washington, D.C. I have passed buildings I only recognized from online and sat in rooms I never imagined I would enter. Being inside the House of Representatives was one of those moments where I quietly took everything in. The reflective nameplates outside offices, the ornate ceilings, the people moving from meeting to meeting—it all felt sublime.
Coming from a migrant farmworker family, I’ve grown appreciative of change. Growing up, I would migrate from Florida to Alabama and back to go pick tomatoes and strawberries from dusk to dawn. It wasn’t until the ninth grade that I got out of this cycle with the support of my parents, who emphasized my education. So, when I found myself sharing my story with senior legislative assistants, it felt almost surreal. Not because I felt out of place, primarily because I have always been wary of how different my experience has been from where I started, and it became very clear in that moment where I was.
That said, one of my favorite parts of D.C. so far has been how easy it is to meet people. I have stayed open to conversations wherever they happen, whether that’s with other interns, professionals, police officers, or people I meet while walking through the city. Everyone seems to carry a story with them, and I have enjoyed hearing how different people ended up here.
Meeting Dr. Ray Serrano from LULAC was one of the conversations that resonated with me the most. When I learned that he was also a former farmworker, I was intrigued by his story but in a different way. My thoughts lingered in the fields, and in the uncertainty of being resilient without a clear map. His path reminded me that someone can come from long days under the sun and still find their way into rooms they once had no connection to.
In less than a week, D.C. has already felt like a cinema. Every day has given me something new to acknowledge, someone new to learn from, and another reason to stay curious.
Blog Author: Freddy Bautista-Molina – Class of 2026
Published on June 26, 2026