Recording - Miss Ferial Govashrii
Academic internship in the Congressional office of Representative Loretta Sanchez, in Washington, D.C.;
Creation of the Orange County Victory Fund, a program created through the Democratic Party of Orange County.
The Orange County Victory Fund came to life during the 2004 Presidential election. We were able to recruit over 2,000 volunteers throughout the county, and equip them with voter information. This information was used by volunteers who went door to door, precinct walking, encouraging their neighbors to inform themselves not only on the local candidates running for government positions such as School Boards, and Assembly members, but also for Congressional candidates and so forth up to the highest office, the presidency. This entailed countless hours of data coordination, and analyses. Our organization was also the only organization promoting the election of John Kerry throughout the entire county. We fundraised to pay for bumper stickers, buttons, signs. Everything a grassroots organization entails and more was done. Thanks to our efforts, and the combined efforts of the Democratic Party, we were able to lay the groundwork for a precinct program throughout Orange County.
National Committee for Community and Justice was a non profit organization that I worked for until they lost funding two years ago. This organization is focused on ending hate crimes. The closest office is now located in Long Beach. We conducted fundraisers to bring educational programs to middle schools, high schools, and began the preliminary work that was used by UCI’s Ambassador’s Council to launch a new program called Global Connect. Global Connect is run by students attending UCI and sends interns, like myself, to high schools all across Orange County to teach the relevance of diversity in our globalized international situation. We teach kids that diversity is now a way of life and should be embraced. We also encourage these kids, who I should mention are all apart of the AVID program, to apply to college. Many of these children do not have anyone showing them the path to further education. We supply them with reading materials and so forth so that they are at least aware of their potential achievements. Our presence is also similar to that of a big sister or brother who the kids look up to for advice. It is a really great program.
BARBARO & VALENTINE, LLP The partner I worked with was Frank Barbaro, who is the President of the Democratic Party of Orange County.
Chair of the Orange County Young Democrats (currently)
Finance Director for 69th Assembly candidate in the 2006 California Primary, Armando de la Libertad.