NJLP Orientation

June 27th, 2021 was the orientation for this year’s class of New Jersey Leadership Program fellows. After talking to my cohort, we all agreed that this opportunity goes above and beyond what any of us expected.

Things across the United States have slowly gone back to normal, we are starting to take masks off, over half of the adult population is fully vaccinated, and we have been reassured that school is going back in person next year. I was anxious to see what the program would look like this year because of Covid-19, but the tireless work of founder and President Amit Jani, the NJLP board, and our internship coordinators hasn’t let us skip a beat. While some of our internships are still virtual, and we’ve only met our peers over Zoom, our class already feels like a family.

Our first speaker was Parag Mehta, an extremely accomplished and successful individual who spoke to us at orientation. He described the ethic needed to maintain a career, and the opportunities that are available if we lead with a strong moral compass and focus on strong goals, which was the exact motivation we needed approaching our first week of work.

I am fortunate enough to have been one of the first fellows to be placed in the private sector and am now working full-time at Princeton Public Affairs Group, Inc. under experts who have already taught me so much about the day-to-day of a lobbyist. In just two weeks I have learned more about where I see myself in life and what I want to do with my career. I’ve gotten the chance to interview partners like David Smith and Regina Appolon, two people I admire so much and get a real insight into their thoughts on the job, and advice on how I should approach my future. 

While the internships are the main focus of the program, the speakers that we get to listen to every Saturday are one of the highlights of the opportunity. From people that lead departments in New Jersey government to those who do the same in the White House, the range that we are exposed to is impeccable, and each speaker holds so much advice and provides unique insight on their career.

One speaker that struck a chord with me was Laura Jiménez, who is the Senior Advisor for the Bureau of Western Affairs in the State Department, and she is incredibly accomplished at such a young age. She stuck out to me because she is what I aspire to be, a hardworking woman of color, working in the State Department, and she showed me that it is achievable. Another speaker was Shanti Narra, the first South Asian female County Commissioner in New Jersey. She taught us the importance of knowing our worth as young brown girls and letting our voices be heard.

Other speakers like Parimal Garg, Chief Counsel to the Governor, and Dyese Davis, Chief of Staff to Vin Gopal taught us equally important lessons about the value of public service and what it means to embody the people that you represent. Every speaker we have had has been so engaged and so willing to share their wealth of knowledge with us, and I am privileged to have that opportunity with them.

I am so thankful that I made the decision to apply for NJLP, and would not want to spend my summer any other way. I have learned so much in just a week from my internship and speakers, and I am so excited for what the rest of the program has to offer. It has been an eye-opening series and has embodied the idea of a “new normal” after a ruthless pandemic. The dedication from the NJLP board to ensure the best experience possible cannot be praised enough. I am proud to be a member of the 2021 cohort and the New Jersey Leadership Program, and I can confidently say that I will be forever grateful.