Star Of Queens

Thursday, July 19, 2007 11:55 AM EDT

Shirley Giraldo
Intern, Congressional Hispanic Caucus
Institute, Jamaica

COMMUNITY SERVICE: Shirley Giraldo, a Syracuse University junior, won a place in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s Congressional Leadership Program. As an intern in the eight-week program, Giraldo will not only work with Congressman Gregory Meeks, but attend weekly leadership development sessions and take part in policy discussions. She will also meet with corporate representatives, national elected officials and foreign dignitaries. In addition, Giraldo, along with the other interns in the program, will be conducting a Community Health Fair to assist the Latino community in Washington D.C.

As a full-time student at Syracuse University, Giraldo participates as much as she can in the community, while also working in the university’s food court. This past May, Giraldo participated in the AIDS walk in New York. She also donated blood and fundraised for scholarship money.

PERSONAL: Giraldo, a 19-year-old majoring in Public Relations with a minor in Political Science, is the youngest of four children, and the first to attend a four-year college. She lives in Jamaica with her mother, who came here from the Dominican Republic. “She did a great job raising us,” Giraldo said. She plans on going to graduate school and opening up her own public relations firm to provide PR services at low cost to non-profit foundations.

PROUDEST MOMENT: “I honestly think that this is one right at the top,” she said of her intern experience. “Not many people who come from where I come from have this chance. I’m proud to be here, it’s a wonderful opportunity.”

BIGGEST CHALLENGE: “I know I can do whatever I wish, but finances are always a burden,” Giraldo explained. “It’s a lot of money to go to Syracuse…I’ve got to go with what life gives me, and take every possibility.”

INSPIRATION: “My own will to prove stereotypes wrong,” is Giraldo’s inspiration. “I’m very self-motivated,” she explained, and will “not follow in the footsteps of someone else.”