Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 3, 1 March 1997 — First native Hawaiian intern at the White House [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

First native Hawaiian intern at the White House

by Kelli Meskin

With the support of an OHA scholarship, a young Hawaiian woman became the first native Hawaiian to intern at the White House. The internship gave Pua'ena Burgess, 24, first hand experience in politics through last year's presidential elections. "I was so thankful for OHA, or else I wouldn't have been able to go," she said. Burgess received no payment for her work that . she put in, but she says the experience gained was worth it. She was required to work only 20 hours a week but often put in 40 hours instead. "It was a full-time job," she said. Burgess and Emi Morita, another intern from Hawai'i, worked as supervisors in the Presidential Inquiries Office. Morita and Burgess managed the comment line, whieh answers calls from people across the country

who want to express their opinions on poliheal issues and, at that time, the presidential debates. The office stayed open in the evening, sometimes until midnight after the presidential debates and the State ol the Union Address. Their duties were an integral part of the staff work at the White House. When Clinton first became president he cut the staff by 25 percent, Morita explained.

"The work didn't diminish; the staff did," Burgess said. Burgess, used to a laid back lifestyle, was shocked by the fast paee of Washington D.C. "I was amazed at the amount of work that is accomplished when you have no ehoiee, and part of me misses that," she said. She's been back in Hawai'i since last December. Their office was in charge of sending out birthday cards, anniversary cards and graduation cards all signed by the president. Approximately 70,000 cards are sent out a month. However, because the president is to busy to sign eaeh one, a maehine repli-

cates the president's signature as if he'd really signed it himself . "If Mr. Clinton sat around and signed all the cards and letters requested of him he'd never get anything done," Burgess explained. Burgess described Washington D.C. as a surreal place."Everything about politics becomes your life, especially if you work in a governmental office," she said. "We got to meet people we never dreamed of meeting," Morita added. On their first day Morita and Burgess nearly bumped into Vice-President A1 Gore in the hallway. Morita attended some of the political parties and met Jessie Jackson and Vernon Jordan.

Burgess and Morita flew to Arkansas on eleehon night for the final results and the party. Morita admitted that she got very wrapped up in politics while being an intern, but she doesn't plan to be politically active in the future. "I just went for the experience. Politics is so public, your life isn't your own," she said. Now, Burgess has resumed her work on the May Experience program for the Wai'anae coast intermediate

and high schools and she does clerieal work for her father's law firm. However, her three and a half month long experience taught her to love wool socks and fireplaces. Burgess and Morita both agree that they gained good experience from their time at the White House. However, Morita was disappointed that she could not receive some kind of credit for her work through UH Mānoa. Other interns from across the country had credit programs, took classes and received stipends whieh were set up with their university or a business in their community, she said. Burgess and Morita's access to this program was through an Arkansas Traveler, a person who has

supportea vnnton ' ' from the beginning. He organized their internships. "Pua and I were under a false impression because we didn't have any contact with White House staff," Morita said. Morita said they were told they wouldn't have time to take classes, because they'd have a lot of responsibility and they'd get to meet the president, she said. "I decided to go because it's a ehanee of a lifetime," Morita said. "I'm glad I did it, I just wish there was more help out there for this program." She suggested that students should set up a way to receive credit from their university before they go and make sure they have regular contact with White House staff. For more information on the White House internship program eall 202-456-2742.

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