My Cooperative Education
My Cooperative Education The Organization I work at Assemblyman Jose Rivera’s office in the 78th district, which is located at 2488 Grand Concourse. It is a New York State Assembly government office that helps many people with numerous issues, as long as they live within the 78th district. Some issues that come into the office include Housing, Evictions, Public Assistance, and Section 8. Other issues include fundraisers, food programs, senior programs and centers, education, unemployment and employment. I recall my first constituent. Her name is Editha and she lives in Bainbridge Avenue. She needed help with a credit card company. Soon after she signed up with this company, after having an estimated $400 removed out of her bank account, she realized it was a Home Shopping Network Credit Card. She phoned them countless times trying to cancel her account and to get a refund, but no one would help. After I spoke to the supervisor of the company, they agreed to cancel her account and give her a $200 gift certificate. The good thing about this case was that I was able to resolve the issue within 24 hours. At Assemblyman Jose Rivera’s Office there is just one department. It is not broken up into small departments. We each have different positions, but all in one department. When there is a task, we work together to get the job done. My priorities include helping constituents with any problem they come in with. I must record and listen to everything they say and then try to come up with a solution. If at anytime they cannot be helped at this office, I must direct them to the proper office that should be able to assist their needs. Once a constituent comes in for help I must write their information on the Constituent Form, make copies of their paperwork, make phone calls if necessary, direct them to another office (when needed), and file their paperwork. A few days later a follow-up is done. My Duties and Responsibilities My duties and responsibilities include answering the phones, checking e-mail, composing business letters, filing, researching, and copying/faxing. I have even composed their mailing list, which I update on a regular basis. The first thing I must do when I enter the office is make sure my workstation is properly equipped with the necessary supplies and I also have to make sure it is clean. Before I leave at the end of the day, I check to make sure everything is in its place and I shut off the computer. My duties at work relate very much to what I have learned here at Monroe College. At Monroe I have gained skills in Microsoft Word and Excel, business writing, document formatting and processing, and Office Procedures. Office Procedures reinforces skills already gained in software applications and skills development, but it also teaches how to be an Office Professional. I use Excel for the mailing list and Word for composing business letters. I have to make sure every letter is formatted properly with no errors in grammar or punctuation.