Placement: Mayor’s Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security, Mayor’s Anti-Gang Office

What I Worked on: The Anti-Gang Office has submitted a proposal to the U.S. Department of Justice requesting funds to enhance and expand its current gang prevention and intervention services to more significantly address the academic, economic and social needs of gang-involved youth. I assist with the evaluation of that project for the funding agency as well as for the MAGO. My work includes collecting and analyzing data, developing assessment instruments and databases, contract monitoring, and preparing summaries and reports. I also play an integral role in determining and designing the type of evaluation to be carried out. In addition to the regular reports required by the funding agency, I also will prepare a more detailed in-house report for the MAGO to use to examine and evaluate its service delivery and client case management processes.

Hometown: Brownsville, TX

School: Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX

Field of Study: Economics

Selected Honors: 2009 Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute (PPIA JSI) at Carnegie Mellon University

Selected Activities and Community Involvement: ESL Mentor at the Georgetown High School, Latinos Unidos, a Southwestern University student organization, Volunteer for the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce

Prior Work Experience: South Padre Island Golf Club (Resort Rentals Specialist), Shared Hope International (Communications and Public Awareness Intern), Pfizer (Pharmaceutical Sales Representative).

Why Houston is important to me: My passion for economic development attracts me to Houston. As a Texan, I am proud of Houston’s economic prosperity and urbanization. I am eager to utilize the fellowship to find solutions to any problems that accelerating urbanization might have caused Houston in areas such as: education, discrimination, poverty, crime, and environmental problems.

Something unique about me: As an intern for Shared Hope International—a non-profit organization based in Arlington, Virginia—I learned of the horrors of domestic minor sex trafficking. Through my internship, I fought to eradicate human trafficking in the United States. Since then, ending human trafficking has become a cause that is very close to my heart.