Idealism Impresses Washington Intern

Victor De la Cruz has spent the summer fully immersed in the world of Washington politics, observing for the first time the often dizzying levels of game-playing and deal-making between politicians and the media.

His assessment? It reminds him of his alma mater, Birmingham High School in Van Nuys.

De la Cruz, a 19-year-old Yale University sophomore from Reseda, is one of 30 Latino students chosen from a pool of about 350 applicants for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s summer internship program. He works for Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles), who has become a key Latino lawmaker.

De la Cruz admitted to flashing back often to his senior year at Birmingham, in 1995-96, when he edited the student-run Courier newspaper.

The Courier ran afoul of teachers and administrators that year after printing his article about a faculty feud and a photo of a streaking Birmingham student.

“It was supposedly an objective article, but I guess it wasn’t,” De la Cruz conceded.

Like a lot of interns, though, De la Cruz displays ambition and optimism to spare. As a double major in political science and international studies, he takes particular interest in trade talks and foreign relations.

“I don’t think I’ll be a journalist. I’m thinking maybe international law or politics,” he said via telephone. “It’s interesting when they have a press conference here and you see what’s reported the next day.”

Despite some long hours and head-scratching experiences, he still has not lost his enthusiasm for Beltway politics.

“I think it’s important to see it,” he said. “I had this terrible impression of Washington, that it was full of lobbyists and people just trying to get elected. In this office I see that people are really passionate. They’re working hard for their ideals.”