Hi! My name is Dixie Samaniego (MPP ‘27). I'm a first year MPP student and Rackham Merit Fellow at the Ford School of Public Policy. I was born in Southern California and raised in Anaheim, CA and Buena Park, CA. I'm a proud first generation alumna from California State University Fullerton (Tusks up!).
I always knew I wanted to dedicate my life to public service. This calling led me to Cal State Fullerton and I quickly found any opportunity to get involved with policy. I later found the Public Policy International Affairs Junior Summer Institute (PPIA JSI) program. I matched into my first choice JSI program, the University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy and spent a summer taking graduate courses with the incredible faculty at the Ford School.
Throughout my time in undergrad, I worked in education policy representing hundreds of thousands of students in my university system at the state and federal level. From organizing around legislation, student loans and affordability issues, and securing state and federal dollars for student programs and capital projects, I fell in love with using policy to understand people and solve problems. Following my time in the CSU system, I worked in government relations and advocacy in Sacramento, worked for the City of Anaheim, and managed a campaign (and won!).
As a Californian, I never thought I would choose to live anywhere else and have to buy a real snow jacket. Even after living a summer in Ann Arbor, I had no idea what to expect or how I would survive a Midwest winter. While I can't say that the winter snow makes for an easy transition as a West Coaster, as a Fordie you join an incredible community of people who make this transition easier. Those from the West Coast (and California specifically) know that community is everything. The community at the Ford School is one of a kind paired with a world class education, no one beats us at that.