For Ariana Gutierrez and Joselle Escobar, the first week of their new fellowship was literally a trial by fire.
It wasn’t the first week on the job that Guiterrez and Escobar had expected. Wildfires were sweeping through Los Angeles County, destroying lives and homes, as the two Master of Public Policy (MPP) students began their USC Price School Bohnett fellowships with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
“We started our fellowship the second week of the fires. It was like watching policy in overdrive – county employees became disaster response workers and decisions were being made quickly, cooperatively, and always with the best interest of constituents in mind,” Gutierrez said. “It’s a privilege to be part of helping Los Angeles recover.”
Guiterrez and Escobar immediately jumped in to help, assisting Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s staff to address constituent concerns about the wildfires and coordinate materials to prepare the Supervisor for board meetings. They participated in staff meetings to strategize immediate disaster relief efforts and organize efforts to provide county funding to fire victims. They also contributed to briefings on proposed board motions related to the fire response.
“As policy professionals, we don’t stop at comprehensive emergency response. We’re always thinking of long-term solutions,” Escobar said. “This fellowship has made us a part of a collective mission that sees and serves the whole spectrum of people’s needs.”
Foundation empowers leaders and prioritizes service
The grant-making David Bohnett Foundation, established by the tech founder and USC trustee, supports “initiatives that deeply foster acceptance, empower future leaders, and connect communities through technology.” Its funding “strives to give everyone the power to take an active role in shaping a better society.”
Since 2016, it has connected select graduate students at the USC Price School of Public Policy with the Board of Supervisors’ office of the chairperson. Students receive full tuition support and a stipend while they devote a calendar year to the L.A. County governing body, unique for its executive and legislative powers and the 10 million people it serves.
Emily Ellison, the 2024 Bohnett Leadership Fellow who now specializes in environmental issues as Associate Policy Deputy under Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, emphasizes the value of the Bohnett Fellowship’s immersive capacity.
“When you intern, the work is transient. In this fellowship, there were some policies that I worked on for an entire year,” Ellison said. “I had amazing mentorship, as well as responsibility and autonomy. When I transitioned to being a full-time staff member, I took more of a leadership role, but a lot of my work stayed the same.”
Policy in community
Escobar arrived at USC Price with several years of professional experience under her belt. With an undergraduate degree in political science and sociology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, she served as a communications director and legislative aide for her state representative in Illinois before specializing in advocacy for immigrant families and childcare providers as a policy associate at the non-profit Illinois Action for Children.
“I worked in early childhood services policy, but I came to my graduate program open to all issue areas and ready to refine my technical and leadership skills,” Escobar said. “Working with the Board of Supervisors has shown me the many ways that issues on the county level connect, and how even at massive scales the best policy decisions stem from robust dialogue between departments and the people they serve.”
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Find Out MoreGutierrez fell in love with policy as a philosophy major at UC Riverside, changing her academic focus and applying to USC Price while still an undergraduate. With previous fellowships at USAID and the California State Assembly, she brings a passion for inquiry and problem-solving.
As the two navigate their first areas of focus – Escobar in board meeting operations and Gutierrez in public safety – there’s a particular aspect of collaboration they both credit with enhancing their experience.
“We’re so appreciative of the Bohnett Foundation for funding two fellows this year,” Gutierrez said. “This experience has been so informative as a partnership.”
Escobar added: “We work in different areas and are making our own contributions in this fast-paced, nurturing environment, but it’s truly enriched our work to have each other as sounding boards and support.”
