By Victoria Brito

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – Two graduate students from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley served as summer Fellows in Washington, D.C., at The Archer Center, living and working as interns in the nation’s capital.

• Luis Leal, an MBA graduate student from Cd. Victoria, Tamps., Mexico, interned at the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. He is a 2015 graduate of UTRGV legacy institution UT Pan American.

• Daniel Ymbong, of McAllen, interned at the National Gallery of Art. A UTRGV graduate student, he is studying art history with a specialization in Spanish colonial art. He holds a bachelor’s degree in art with a minor in history and anthropology.

The Archer Center is the Washington, D.C., campus of the UT System. It provides undergraduate and graduate students from across the UT System with opportunities at various agencies and legislative offices in Washington.

Archer Fellows take two classes at the Archer Center at the UT System Office of Federal Relations; they participate in an internship and work on an independent research project.

Both UTRGV graduate students, who have returned to the Rio Grande Valley from their Archer Fellowships and shared their experiences and the long-term value to their chosen careers.

Luis Leal, a UTRGV graduate student from Cd. Victoria, Tamps., Mexico, this summer interned at the Hispanic Heritage Foundation as a Fellow at The Archer Center in Washington, D.C. Seen here at the U.S. Senate during his internship, the 2015 graduate of legacy institution UT Pan American currently is a graduate student at UTRGV working on his MBA. He serves as an Archer Ambassador for the university as part of recruitment efforts in the Valley. (Courtesy Photo)

LUIS LEAL
Leal said his role as an Archer intern at the Hispanic Heritage Foundation was to be part of the development team, which handles all of the foundation’s activities and operations.

“My main role was to research corporations and foundations as potential donors to the foundation,” he said. “I also attended hearings and networking events where the foundation was recognized, and assisted with translating press releases, invitations and letters from English to Spanish.”

His translation skills were key when the foundation was preparing for the Hispanic Heritage Awards in September. His internship had ended already, but the foundation invited him to attend.

“I went back to D.C. for the awards and worked part of the event, then had the opportunity to stay and be present at the ceremony,” he said.

During his time with the foundation, the team made him feel welcome from day one, he said.

“Overall, it was a holistic experience, just to have the opportunity to interact with all the other UT System students,” he said. “It was great to know that although others might have come from bigger schools, we all have different skillsets that helped us achieve our goals.”

Leal currently serves as an Archer Ambassador for UTRGV as part of recruitment efforts in the Valley.

Daniel Ymbong, a UTRGV graduate student from McAllen, interned this summer at the National Gallery of Art as a Fellow at The Archer Center in Washington, D.C. He is seen here during his internship at the gallery, posing next to a work by French post-impressionist Paul Cézanne. Ymbong holds a bachelor’s degree in art with a minor in history and anthropology, and currently is a UTRGV graduate student studying art history with a specialization in Spanish colonial art. (Courtesy Photo)

DANIEL YMBONG
An internship at the National Gallery of Art was the ideal venue for UTRGV art history graduate student Ymbong.

At the National Gallery, he helped with curatorial records and files, cataloguing, taking inventory, organizing files and conducting research on provenance on loan artwork at the gallery.

“It was exciting to be exposed to the plethora of Western masterworks, and to have access to inside connections to the best of fine art and fashion with other institutions like the Met,” he said.

He looks back on the Archer experience as essential to learning the ropes in the professional world of his chosen field.

“I learned the importance of communication in office decorum, diplomacy and networking. Passion, drive and hard work can bring about success beyond stereotypes and conventions,” Ymbong said.