Where are you from?

I am originally from Indio, CA, but I grew up in the City of San Joaquin, CA and later resided in Merced, CA.

What were you doing before you came to Ford?

I was working as a project manager for the Office of Community and Economic Development at Fresno State trying to advance different policy areas to uplift rural communities in the San Joaquin Valley.  I was also serving as a school board member on the Merced City School District’s Board of Trustees.    

Why did you choose Ford?

I chose Ford not only because of the excellence of the program, but because of its sense of community.  I felt it whenever I spoke to Fordies and staff when I was considering graduate school programs.  The Ford community made me feel at ease and at home here at U of M.

What do you want to do with your Ford degree?

I hope to combine the skills from my MPP with that of my MBA that I am pursuing at Ross to work in economic development and business policy back in California.

Where are you from?

I grew up in Loveland, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. Now, I call Michigan home!

What were you doing before you came to Ford?

Before Ford, I worked as a tax preparer in rural Michigan and Appalachia. I was also a swim coach!

Why did you choose Ford?

I chose Ford because of the flexibility in building my degree. Though the MPP is a generalist degree, I am able to choose my classes to fill my skill gaps and learn all the things I actually want to learn. I was also drawn to the community here. With COVID, it has looked a bit different, but I am in awe of how the students and faculty have been able to support each other. 

What do you want to do with your Ford degree?

After Ford, I hope to work in economic development and gender equity policy. Specifically, I want to work with small businesses and entrepreneurs. Though I am not sure where it will take me, I would like to live outside of the US in the future!

Where are you from?

I was born in Detroit, MI and lived in Southfield until I was 7 years old. My family moved to Atlanta, GA which is where I was raised and graduated high school and what I consider my permanent home.

What were you doing before you came to Ford?

Before I came to Ford, I was attending Seattle Pacific University where I studied Urban Studies and Social Justice and Cultural Studies and competed collegiately on their Division II gymnastics team. I graduated in June 2020 and started at Ford later that fall.

Why did you choose Ford?

I had the privilege to participate in the Public Policy and International Affairs Program (PPIA) here at the Ford School from June-July 2019, the summer leading into my senior year of undergrad. This was my first formal introduction to public policy along with a cohort of incredible, policy-oriented students from across the country. I was introduced to Ford’s MPP curriculum and had the opportunity to learn from some incredible Ford School professors and faculty. From then on I knew I’d be coming back to Ford. Covid-19 had a hand in making that happen sooner than originally anticipated, but I’m happy to be here.

What do you want to do with your Ford degree?

I would love to experience work full time and have steady income after being a student for 18 years straight, lol. I’m interested in Education Policy so I hope to join that field after I graduate doing work on initiatives for equitable access to higher education for first-generation, minority, and low-income students.

Where are you from?
I grew up in Ann Arbor, but lived in Chicago and New York for about 10 years before returning for medical school.

What were you doing before you came to Ford?
I started my career as a social worker, primarily working on teen leadership development. My work included sexual health education, community dialogue on race, and much more. I then decided to change careers and pursue medicine, so am currently an MD/MPP student. I am about to enter my fourth year of medical school and will be applying for residency in ob/gyn. My clinical and advocacy interests are in maternal health, with a focus on health disparities.

Why did you choose Ford?
The COVID pandemic really highlighted the intersections between health and every sector of society, from our transportation system to social insurance. Ford has given me the opportunity to build both knowledge and skills to better understand these connections. I have really appreciated the opportunity to build strong quantitative skills in economics, and then apply those to coursework on social policy. Even though I already have a degree in social work, I’ve been able to understand social programs completely differently because of Ford. There is also a focus on practical skills, including our incredible writing center. I feel much more comfortable structuring policy arguments and presenting complex data now. Ford has given me opportunities to put these skills into action in really exciting ways. For example, I completed an independent study with retired Representative Sandy Levin on the intersections between unemployment insurance and health.

What do you want to do with your Ford degree?
There is growing momentum in medicine to think about the ways systems outside of healthcare can better promote health and well-being. My hope is to help structure social policies that provide my patients with the scaffolding to live healthier lives. Yes, Medicaid is important, but so is labor, childcare, and housing policy! I imagine my career will mix clinical practice in ob/gyn with advocacy, but the specific path is still being built.

I was born and raised in Santiago, the capital of Chile. I attended Diego Portales University to get my bachelor degree, with a major in Political Science. After graduation, my first job was at CIEPLAN, a Chilean think tank focusing on national and Latin American politics and economy. In the following years, I had several and very different jobs: I was an analyst for a market research consulting company; a member of the gender unit for Michelle Bachelet’s Presidential Campaign; a consultant at the Office for the South Cone of Latin America of the International Labor Organization (ILO); and an advisor at the Chilean Ministry of Interior. During this period, I also worked as a teaching assistant, tutor and research assistant at the School of Political Science of my university.

During this past summer, I interned at CARE USA, in their Washington DC office. I worked with the Competitive Bids Unit, elaborating a report that analyzed the FY2017 Congressional Budget Justification for International Affairs and its consequences for the organization’s priorities and funding opportunities.

Currently, my policy focus is on development and inequality, social policy and gender.

Q – Public policy isn’t one of the most obvious career paths. Describe the path that brought you to it. 

As a political scientist, I had a very intense research-focused and academic training. I spent most of my undergrad period, and some years after graduation, researching about political systems and institutions, elections’ outcomes and women political representation. Even though I care a lot about these issues and I believe they are of great importance for countries and governments, I felt my work, and political science in general, had a very abstract approach and it was directed mainly to other researchers and scholars. I have a genuine interest and passion about inequality and social struggles and I felt that my training in political science was not enough to help communities and vulnerable populations. My experience working for the ILO and later for the Chilean government confirmed this disposition and it became clear to me that I needed training in public policy. My decision to attend policy school, therefore, stemmed from a strong desire to help communities and to contribute to achieving tangible outcomes for them and for the development of my country.

Q – What’s on your reading list this week? What are you doing for homework?

For this week, I have many assignments for my “Social Activism, Democracy, and Globalization: Perspectives of the Global South” class. These include a review and planning assignment, a group presentation and readings related to the theme of trauma, memory, empathy, and everyday violence. I also have a group presentation on Wednesday for my Values and Ethics class.

Q – Favorite quote?

“La gratitud, como ciertas flores, no se da en la altura y mejor reverdece en la tierra buena de los humildes”

In English it can be translated like: “Gratitude, as certain flowers, does not grow in altitude and better grows green again in the good soil of the humble”. It is from José Martí, a Cuban thinker and independence leader.

Q – If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

This might sound like an obvious and boring answer but I would live in Santiago. Or any other Chilean city. The time that I have spent abroad has made me realize how connected I feel with my country and everything that relates to it: my family and loved ones, the food, the people, the natural scenery and the culture. Some things that felt so common like opening the window of my apartment and see the Andes Mountains, now I miss terribly. I haven’t had the chance to go back in more than a year so I’m very excited to visit during the holidays and share some quality time with my friends and family.