Alexia Carrillo delivers her pitch about her experience at the Postsecondary National Policy Institute (PNPI) during the 2022 Policy Pitch Competition.
Transcript:
I'm the first in my family
to pursue post-secondary
education.
I was raised by a single
immigrant parent.
And although my
mother highlighted
the importance of
higher education,
she didn't have the resources to
guide me on the path to college.
With few resources, I
wonder how I would make it.
My dreams of making
my family proud
became real the day I went to
a local Boys and Girls Club
and one of my counselors sat
me down and walked me through
the steps of applying to
community college
and financial aid.
It wasn't until Community
College for me,
where I received the level of
support that was unmatched
and I found a passion for
helping students like me.
My experience navigating
college as a first-generation,
low-income and system
impacted student gave
me the perspective that they
were critical things that
make it difficult
for students to seek
higher education: accessibility,
and affordability.
Throughout the
summer, I was able to
expand my knowledge in
both of these areas.
I had the opportunity
to intern at
the postsecondary national
policy institute.
Their goals are to provide
summer scholars with
opportunities to build
their knowledge base
in higher education,
federal policy, and build
their professional networks.
I worked on many
projects that honed
in on my skills
such as research,
writing and data analysis.
One of my projects I
worked on was updating
fact sheets that are
posted on their website.
This included Latino students,
first-generation, and
immigrant students.
These fact sheets highlighted
diverse student populations and
provided a lens of
enrollment rates,
degree attainment, and barriers
faced in higher education.
These are usually
used for referencing,
drafting bills, institutions,
or other organizations.
At the Ford school, I learned
the importance of writing
and being clear and concise.
I found this to be
critical because I had
to make sure I could
interpret the data,
provide clear information,
and translate that in order
for people to make
informed decisions
on education policy that impact
the student populations.
This project spoke to me the
most because I felt a
personal connection.
I came into this experience
with limited knowledge.
One of my main objectives
was to learn about
the federal policy process
and how that looks like in
the space of education.
I was amazed to receive
the level of support
my team offered,
not only to get projects done,
but to make sure that I had
a transformative experience,
they focused on building
my professional network,
which allowed me to meet
so many professionals
in the education community.
I had the chance to
live in Washington DC
and discover the opportunities
that city had to offer.
I also had the support of
the leadership coaching program,
which allowed me to
build my confidence
when experiencing
impostor syndrome.
And most importantly,
learned more
about my passion for education,
my team created
an environment of
growth, encouragement
and inspiration.
Moving forward, I want
to continue supporting
students from historically
marginalized communities.
And ensure students
not only gain
access to higher education,
but also receive the full benefits
throughout and beyond
their studies.