As the 2019 Legislative Session continues, so does our Capitol Pathways internship program, providing opportunities at the Capitol for college students of color. Part of our 34-student cohort this year is Raniya Yimam, a 2nd year student at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College on her way to a double-major in public health and public policy. Originally from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Raniya is interning at ClearWay Minnesota. She is a member of the feminist organization club and the sisterhood of Africa American club. She is also involved with the Phi Theta Kappa honor society where she works as the public relations officer and is the president of the Ethiopian Association.
Raniya took some time from her busy student schedule to answer a few questions about her participation in the program so far.
Q: What did you hope to achieve by participating in Capitol Pathways?
RY: I hope to achieve a high level of energy and enthusiasm in my community. I believe that this a great opportunity for me to gain more communication skills and life experience and it will develop my leadership skills.
Q: What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned so far during your internship experience?
RY: The most valuable thing that I learned from Capitol Pathways is that self-improvement and confidence are really important. There are so many opportunities out there. We should really be willing to go out of our comfort zone and show our passion. Making connections is a key for achieving many future goals. And experience is the best teacher, which will help me to reach my professional targets in life.
Q: How has Capitol Pathways affected your career aspirations?
RY: Firstly, participating in this internship is definitely a very efficient and successful method to achieve my aspiration in working in the public health and public policy field. Also, being a part of this community gave me the chance to learn new skills that can help me in my life. It really gave me hope, and I know I am capable of doing anything now. This created an equal opportunity for me, being a person of color and working in the Capitol. It gives me hope that I can run for office one day. And this is just the beginning; I learned that there are so many things we can do to improve our communities, and if we don’t get out and speak up, nobody else will do it.
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