My goal for as long as I can remember has been to work in the federal government to improve lives by reducing inequality. My interest in politics and the government goes back to as early as elementary school, and has only been heightened by extraordinary events that have occurred throughout my life.
My earliest memory of politics was the 2004 presidential election between George W. Bush and John Kerry. At the time, I was required to watch the results come in on election night and write a paper about it for my 5th grade class. We even had a mock vote where I encouraged my classmates to vote based on candidate information and their own preferences. Little did I know that experience would spark a passion that would take me to places a first-generation college student from Michigan couldn’t even dream of.
Growing up in Metro Detroit, I quickly became hyper-aware of the hardships that everyday residents faced during the 2008 recession. Many of the people around me lived paycheck to paycheck, worked in the automotive or service industry, and dealt with many of the same issues that millions of people encounter today: poverty, housing insecurity, transportation issues, and accessing affordable healthcare. The subprime mortgage crisis directly impacted my family and so many others around me. People lost their jobs, homes, retirement, and peace of mind due to the greed of others. Living through this experience enraged me and made me passionate about helping others, I just wasn’t sure what that looked like yet.
I remember as an undergraduate student, I panicked (like many others do) about what to do with the rest of my life. I majored in Economics and Finance, and knew I wanted to help others and work in a field where that was possible. My senior year, I had an amazing professor who mentioned the words “Public Policy” and encouraged me to pursue a graduate degree. It was the first time I had ever heard these words, let alone understood all they entailed. After graduating with my BBA, I took additional required courses at a community college and studied to take the GRE, all while working full-time as a data analyst.
Two years after receiving my undergraduate degree, I was accepted into the University of Michigan where I studied at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. This program taught everything I had hoped to learn on topics I wanted to work on in my future career. I then decided to add an additional masters degree in Applied Economics because my very first interests as an undergraduate were government intervention and economic policy. I am so grateful for my time at the University of Michigan because it opened so many doors and put me on a path where I finally felt like I was heading in the direction of achieving my goals. Because of this education, I have been able to work at think tanks and as a Presidential Management Fellow at federal agencies, where I have been able to analyze and interpret data, research policies, provide recommendations, and feel as though my work has really made an impact.
I was interested in becoming a TechCongress fellow because I have dreamed about working in Congress for a long time, as the institution and staff have a unique role and responsibility to play in policy making. My skills include programming, writing, and navigating the entire policymaking process, including researching, developing an understanding of the effects of policy, and developing and executing policy recommendations. I am passionate about using that skillset to translate issues into policy actions that help everyday people. Throughout my career I have taken into account constituent perspectives, and hope to build on these skills and experiences throughout my time as a fellow.