A year ago, I couldn’t have told you what a Certified Application Counselor (CAC) was, let alone imagine myself walking through the halls of the Massachusetts State House, listening to testimony on health care bills. Public policy? It felt like something distant. Maybe for politicians, lawyers or people on the news. Definitely not for someone like me, who once saw health care as a complex system built far away from ordinary people.
But that’s all changed, especially since joining Health Care For All as a HelpLine Counselor for the Portuguese line. I want to tell you a little bit about what my journey has been like to get to where I am today.
When I moved to the U.S., I started to understand just how tangled and overwhelming the health care system can be, especially for people who don’t speak English as their first language, or who are juggling multiple jobs, children, rent, and still trying to figure out if they qualify for health insurance. That realization made me want to make these people’s lives a little easier. And for that to happen, I knew I’d have to shift away from my marketing career. With each step away from the comfort of familiarity, I was left wondering “Am I doing the right thing?”. Still, off I went. That new path led me to Health Care For All and, eventually, to becoming a CAC. With that, I also became a helper. A listener. A translator of not just language, but also policy, ensuring it has a real-life impact on the people I hear from on the HelpLine.
And then came the day I walked into the State House.
I was mesmerized by the building! Its architecture; its history; and everything it represents to Boston, to Massachusetts and to the country. At first, I felt small. As I walked through the halls, however, that feeling shifted. I heard voices echoing with laughter and conversation. People who were glad to be there. I listened as doctors, policymakers, advocates and people like me testified as to what proposed health care bills would mean for their communities. Their stories were honest, urgent and powerful. In that moment, I no longer felt small. I felt part of something bigger than the State House.
For me, it wasn’t just about the bills on the table. It was about understanding the bridge between daily struggle and systemic change. I saw how voices can shake the very foundations of power, even in buildings made of marble. 
The State House stands strong and elegant, with a shiny golden dome and columns so tall you could swear they touch the sky. You can’t help but think of wealth, power and formality.
However, when you fill its rooms with people advocating for a better health care system – the people who live with the consequences of policy every day – it transforms. It becomes not a fortress, but a forum.
Being there reminded me: no structure, no matter how strong, exists without its people. And no system, no matter how complex, is beyond our reach when we come together with clarity, compassion and collective voice.
And when I stepped outside the State House that day, back into the noise of the city and the rhythm of everyday life, I felt something quiet and certain settle in. Being a CAC, being here for this community, felt right.
Gabriela Palomo is a HelpLine Counselor at Health Care For All.
