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A young man poses for a photo in front of a building.
Adolfo A. Ixchop in front of the Jefferson Building, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., 2024. Photo by Giselle M. Avilés

“Getting To Help Everyone A Little Bit”: Meet Upward Bound Intern Adolfo A. Ixchop

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This is a guest post by Adolfo A. Ixchop, an Upward Bound intern (South El Monte High School, class of 2025), and Giselle M. Avilés, Head, U.S. Serial & Government Documents Section, U.S./Anglo Division. 

Since 1994, the Harvey Mudd College Upward Bound Program in California and Georgetown University have worked together to provide 14 high-school juniors the opportunity to spend five weeks in Washington, D.C. for a rigorous academic enrichment opportunity. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Upward Bound’s mission is to help low-income, first-generation, college-bound students from the East San Gabriel Valley develop the skill and motivation necessary for success in college and beyond. The Library of Congress has been partnering with the Harvey Mudd College Upward Bound program since 2000 to host participating students. In the summer of 2024, students completed a four-week internship in the nation’s capital, where they interacted with college-educated professionals, learned about the agency, assisted with division projects, and delivered a final presentation during a commencement event. As Minerva’s Kaleidoscope is the Library’s blog for children, teens, and their caregivers, we’re excited to share this interview with teens who are involved at the Library, such as this interview with summer 2024 Upward Bound intern Adolfo A. Ixchop. 

Please describe your background. 

Hi, I’m Adolfo A. Ixchop. I am a first generation Mexican American and I was born in West Covina, California. I live in El Monte with my family of five. I am currently part of Upward Bound which is a federally funded program that helps first generation students with college information. I also participate in clubs like the California Scholarship Federation and the Future Business Leaders of America because I want to major in accounting when I go to college, and I enjoy volunteering to help people.  

How did you get the internship? 

The program director for the Upward Bound program at Harvey Mudd College told me that I would be interning at the Library of Congress and that I could expect an email for a background check. After all the forms and fingerprints were submitted, I traveled to Washington, D.C. and later found out that my mentors were Giselle M. Avilés and Dwight Powell from the U.S. Serials & Government Documents Section (USSGD)/ U.S./Anglo Division (USAN). I was excited to meet them. 

How would you describe your internship to other people? 

In my internship, I got to help everyone a little bit. For example, in my section I helped check links on our electronic resources to make sure everything worked correctly, so patrons could use our databases and digital materials. I also helped in the mail room by keeping track of what we received such as state, federal, legal and exchange materials, and gifts. In my internship, I was able to get tours of places like the Main Reading Room, the Law Library Reading Room, the Geography and Map Reading Room, the Hispanic Reading Room, the U.S. Capitol, the Thomas Jefferson Building, explore the U.S. House of Representatives, and finally the White House. I was also able to connect with senior leaders outside of my section, such as the African, Latin American, and Western European Division, the U.S. Copyright Office, and the Financial Services Directorate. 

Two adults (female and male) pose with five high school students in front of a multicolored mural.
Upward Bound interns in the Hispanic Reading Room after a tour with mentors Giselle M. Aviles and Carlos Olave. From left, Giselle, Joseph Patiño, Adolfo Ixchop, Alexis Alvarez, Carlos, Efrain De la Luz and Sharon Ng, 2024. Photo by James Thompson

How was it moving from California to Washington, D.C. for a summer? 

Honestly, I thought it would be hard because I was on the other side of the country. But as the days went by, it felt normal, like the shock never really hit me. The shock did hit me when I had a writing assignment for history that was just a reflection on our time here and the goals we wanted to achieve. I just started writing and writing about how great my time at my internship is, and it made me realize how many opportunities have opened up because I came to Washington, D.C., so I’m grateful for the chance to be here. In addition to my internship at the Library of Congress, I attended classes at Georgetown University in the afternoons that will help me in the upcoming high school year, and I was able to experience U.S. House of Representatives hearings in person. 

What is the purpose of the office that you worked in? 

The purpose of USSGD is to acquire, catalog, and assign bibliographic records for U.S. serial publications and microform. We also perform this work for U.S. federal, state, local or Tribal government documents. The section that I worked is part of the U.S./Anglo Division which acquires, processes and catalogs materials from the United States and its territories, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Oceania. The division also catalogs rare materials and is the Library’s primary contact for the acquisition of electronic resources. 

Five male and two female adults with a young male pose for a photo in an office setting.
Adolfo, in the middle, poses with USSGD staff (from left Thien Pham, Tom Athridge, Sarah Hamilton, Giselle M. Aviles, Dwight Powell and Patrick Brown) and Ted Westervelt, Chief of the U.S. Anglo Division, 2024. Photo by Brook Darnell

What is the most interesting fact you have learned about the Library of Congress? 

The most interesting fact I have learned about the Library of Congress is that the library has 17 reading rooms  located in different buildings such as Jefferson, Madison, and Adams. This was interesting to me because it made me realize how many different choices researchers have when it comes to choosing a reading room and the collections. I would also say that the number of materials in the Library’s collection is also fascinating, ranging from books, newspapers, games, comics, and many other materials.  

Is there a book or collection that you found particularly interesting? 

The rare books in the U.S./Anglo division stood out to me. This is because I find it fascinating that we have books from the 1700s and 1900s. Even though I cannot read most of the books I saw because they were either in German or French, I still find it fascinating because of how old and well-preserved the books are. 

What is something your mentor and/or colleagues wouldn’t know about you? 

Something my mentor and colleagues wouldn’t know about me is that I know American Sign Language (ASL). I learned it back in my sophomore year in my dual enrollment class and I passed the class with an A. I enjoyed it because it gave me the opportunity to learn a new language. I now know three languages, which I hope to increase because French, German, and Italian are interesting, and I would like to learn those languages as well. 

Do you have any advice for high school students, especially freshmen and sophomores? 

My biggest tip for freshmen and sophomores would be to join any program that will help you with college, like the Upward Bound program. You will get the knowledge you need, and you can join summer programs that will give you a rough idea of what college is like. It will also open doors if you have an internship and you can network with people who can help you later, like if you need a letter of recommendation. Also, the people within your internship are all great people and would love to see you succeed, so in the end, as a freshman, strive to join programs that will help you when it comes to applying to college. 

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Thank you to Adolfo and his mentor Giselle for this post! If you’re interested in learning more about additional work and development opportunities for high school students at the Library, please visit the Opportunities page for Internships and Fellowships to learn about programs such as The High School Work Study Program and the High School Summer Internship

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