Ernesto Corona has long felt that his father – labor organizer Humberto “Bert” Corona – didn’t get the recognition he deserved. From the 1940s to 1960s, the Mexican-American activist and USC alum was an early organizer of undocumented workers and founded one of California’s oldest Latino political organizations, the Mexican American Political Association.
“I don’t think he’s spoken about enough despite the impact he’s had on so many labor leaders, Chicano leaders, and Latino leaders,” said Ernesto Corona, who just earned his Master of Nonprofit Leadership & Management (MNLM) from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. “I think he really deserves a statue in the city of L.A.”
Imagine Corona’s surprise, then, when he stumbled upon a museum exhibit honoring his father while working on his capstone project – in which students tackle real-life policy challenges to complete their degrees.
Corona was part of a student team helping LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes – a Smithsonian-affiliate museum in L.A. – create a plan for collecting data to make informed decisions, demonstrate impact to stakeholders and secure funding from donors, among other goals. The students checked out the museum to learn more about it when Corona discovered his dad’s exhibit.
“When they were giving the tour, I was like, ‘Oh, this is my father. This is incredible – or fate,’” Corona said. “Being able to share that experience really encouraged me to support LA Plaza even more.”
The exhibit excited his teammates, too. “It was really special,” said student Devon McCann, who is earning an MNLM this summer. “It was really cool to stumble upon and I think inspired us even more to give this project our all for the client.”
Diving into data
The capstone project was more than just a memorable personal experience. The student team of Corona, McCann, Laura Hurtado (MPA ‘24) and Luis Sanchez (MPA ‘24) gained valuable professional experience by working with LA Plaza.
LA Plaza, a nonprofit that celebrates Latinx culture in L.A. with exhibits and events, tasked the student team with assessing its data collection practices. Students analyzed the nonprofit’s existing reports and raw data; interviewed staff, peer organizations, funders and experts; and reviewed literature and relevant case studies of how other nonprofits leveraged data.
The group ultimately identified key performance indicators (KPIs) that LA Plaza can use for each of its strategic goals, drawing from data the nonprofit currently collects as well as new data it can start gathering.
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Find Out MoreFor example, students learned that LA Plaza wasn’t using valuable data it collected through its interactive exhibits. The nonprofit has a recording booth where visitors can record oral histories, including background about their lives in Los Angeles and their ancestors. LA Plaza also has written response opportunities in which visitors comment on the exhibits. Students showed how the nonprofit could utilize that data to communicate with donors and community members, as well as inform decisions about future exhibits.
“It’s really important for both public constituents and potential supporters to be able to see and understand the impact that LA Plaza and nonprofits are having,” McCann said. “Without data to demonstrate impact, as well as inform decisions internally, you’re just working blindly and hoping that you’re having the impact you want.”
The capstone project was a great partnership between the students and the nonprofit, said Nicole Esparza, USC Price School associate professor and faculty advisor for the project.
“It was more than just an assignment,” Esparza said. “The students became deeply invested and very interested in that organization, and I know they will continue to partner with them.”
LA Plaza has benefitted from the partnership too. The students presented LA Plaza thoughtful recommendations that organized the nonprofit’s current information and identified gaps in its collection process, said Alondra Virrey, LA Plaza engagement manager, and Veronica Diaz, the marketing and communication manager.
“It was great to see how to best leverage the information we currently collect to our new Strategic Framework and Mission, and how to approach our stakeholders for greater support,” the organization said in a joint statement. “We are excited to meet with our staff and share with them the findings; it was particularly insightful to learn how similar cultural institutions are measuring their impact.”
