My name is KeiAra Salomon, a junior studying Public Affairs through the School of

Marxe. I have always considered myself to be a naturally curious person; this has resulted in
countless adventures professionally, academically, and personally. 
As a freshman, I took the liberty of exploring any and every opportunity that presented
itself to me. This resulted in me attending the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus, the 2018
Dominican Student Conference, and the 2018 SEEK/CD Student Leadership Academy. I even
had the opportunity to visit Israel the summer after my freshman year. I discovered these
opportunities through flyers posted on bulletin boards, student club events, and reading my email
regularly. 
At the beginning of my sophomore year, I began to focus on professional development. I
did so by enrolling into the Hagedorn Program, a course offered in Marxe that provides
internships to its students. In the semester of Fall 2018, I began my first internship with the
American Red Cross; where I worked as a Disaster Relief Intern. Throughout my internship, I
alongside one other intern created a hurricane relief plan. This plan consisted of detailed
information on how to distribute emergency supplies to over 40,000 families across New York
City in the event of a hurricane. This plan is logged into the American Red Cross system for all
workers and volunteers to see and access. 
In Spring 2019 I continued to develop my professional skills by pursuing a second
internship with the New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM), as the Emergency
Operations Center Intern. Throughout my time with NYCEM, I worked on multiple short-term
projects and conducting research. One of the more interesting projects I was tasked with was
creating mock emergency scenarios. Once I conducted research on a tornado storm in Alabama
and used the information I obtained and applied it to a New York setting. The employee at
NYCEM would use these scenarios as exercises to prepare for an actual emergency. 
For the summer after my sophomore year, I had the unique experience of going to Delhi,
India.  I went to India to intern with a non-profit organization called Butterflies, India. I
discovered this opportunity by attending the Baruch work abroad fair.  Butterflies is an
organization dedicated to providing street-connected and working children an education. My
time in India was an eye-opening experience. The children I interacted with were incredibly
bright and ambitious. Seeing children as young as six years old working to support their family,
while attempting to pursue a proper education is astonishing. This experience has allowed me to
see the world in a different light. I am grateful to have had such a unique experience. 
This past fall, I secured yet another internship; this time with the New York City Council.
I worked in the office of Council Member Keith Powers. Councilmember Powers represents
NYC District 4, which encompasses Carnegie Hill, Central Park South, Garment District,
Koreatown, Midtown East, Midtown West, Murray Hill, Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant
Town, Sutton Place, Times Square, Tudor City, Turtle Bay, Upper East Side, and Waterside
Plaza. As his intern I was tasked with attending meetings, scheduling events, and interacting with
constituents. I was also at City Council when major laws were enacted, such as the closing of
Rikers and the banning of flavored tobacco.
 Currently, I am interning with the New York State Senate in Albany, the state’s capitol. I
am able to do so through a program offered through Marxe, that provides me with academic
credit and a financial stipend. I work as a Session Assistant for the New York State Senate, this
means I aid my Senator and his office, while the Legislative Session is in progress. I work for
Senator Brian Benjamin’s office; he represents Senate district 30 which encompasses Harlem,
East Harlem, Upper West Side, Washington Heights, Hamilton Heights and Morningside
Heights. In his office I schedule meetings, review legislation, interact with other elected officials,
and attend Legislative Session. 
In addition to my work responsibilities, I must draft an original piece of legislation for the
academic component of my internship. My bill focuses on providing mental health services to
incarcerated individuals across New York State penitentiaries. All the Session Assistant interns
have to prepare a bill to later present in a Model Legislative Session (MLS). As a member of
MLS, I decided to run for a leadership position; in a tight race I was elected as the 2020 MLS
President. 
At the moment, I am uncertain about my next step, but I do know it will be interesting.
Three years ago, when I first entered Baruch, I did not know what to expect, and now I am one-
year shy from graduation with a variety of experiences. I am excited to see what the future has in
store.