Day 4 with So Much More!

We began our day with a metro ride to the SOC or the Secretary’s Operations Center. There we took the metro into DC and went to a highly secure building and were escorted to the room where the action takes place 24/7/365. There were about 50 computers in one room. Today was slow and therefore not many professionals were there, however, on a hectic day the room would be filled with specialists and analysts. The purpose of the SOC is to serve as a location where information about critical public health and medical information is followed and analyzed. Therefore when an emergency situation arises they can coordinate a response for the Department of Health and Human Services.

Following the Presentation at the SOC we went to the American Indian Museum to work on our project and enjoy a culturally rich and varied meal. The food court had five different sections and each featured delicious options from various locations. 

Following that we met with George Sifakis. who is the director of the HOSA office in Washington. He is responsible for representing HOSA at the Federal level and ensuring that we maintain the continued support of our congressmen and women. He briefed us on how our congressional meetings would take place and gave us a bit of background on the importance of ensuring that people on Capitol Hill know of HOSA as well as the value of networking and creating these valuable connections. We met with five senators from each of the intern’s respective states. This was a very unique opportunity where we shared our HOSA story and presented our case of the importance of Perkins funding to ensure the continued growth of this great organization. The following representatives, John Cornyn of Texas, Marco Rubio of Florida, Mark Warner of Virginia, Dianne Feinstein of California and John H. Isakson of Georgia, opened their offices to us and gave us their undivided attention.

In the evening we were invited to dinner by Mr. Sifakis. at the historical Willard Hotel in D.C. There we were enriched with the hotel’s history. At the Willard President Abraham Lincoln checked out and could not pay his bill (this was a week prior to his inauguration!). His first check as president was utilized to pay his bill to the Willard. Additionally, President Nixon utilized the Willard as his center of operations during his campaign. 

We concluded our night by working hard to complete our project for the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. Tomorrow we are invited to an early morning workout with CAPT Tosatto and ENS Sophie Yang!