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Through UCR SPP, I got the opportunity to do an internship at Feeding America Riverside/San Bernardino, where I was able to learn more about the field I was interested in pursuing. This internship is part of how I ended up in my current role now at Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County where I get to serve my community everyday. My experience with UCR SPP is part of the reason I am now able to dedicate my career to creating a thriving, prosperous, and abundant community.
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SPP gave me the tools and language to understand how you can dissect and understand complex policy problems as part of the larger process of identifying and implementing solutions. This exercise in diagnostics is just as critical as crafting the remedy. So, when I encounter policy problems in my day-to-day work, I rely on the skills and practice I gained from SPP to really understand the source of the problem so I can better craft a solution.
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As a doctoral researcher at the University of Southern California, I’m now studying how student body presidents experience shared governance and institutional leadership, work that directly informs how I mentor and empower student leaders on my own campus. My approach to policy and leadership remains grounded on the SPP idea that creating a thriving, prosperous, and abundant world begins with intentional systems that include, uplift, and prepare the next generation to lead.
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I'm still leaning on the relationships I built at the School of Public Policy. Whether it's industry experience on an important Council issue, a proposed development project, or campaign strategy, my cohort colleagues have been people I can turn to for advice, guidance, and direction. There's so much wisdom in that group!.
