UConn School of Public Policy (SPP) Master of Public Policy (MPP) student Adriana Sanchez Dominicci knew at an early age that she wanted to make a career out of advocating for others. Though her method for advocacy has evolved over time, Adriana emphasizes the respect she has for educators. Her mom’s service in early education has been a critical motivator in her desire to make a public service impact.
Initially the MPP was a pathway for Adriana to attend law school. She adds, “this program has changed my mind on that and taught me that there’s a way to advocate in any room you sit in. You just need the right tools, experiences, and a little bit of confidence.”
During her first year with SPP Adriana supported three projects with the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy (IMRP) as a Research Assistant (RA). With the Cannabis study she participated in personal interviews which she later coded for qualitative data. For a mental health study she analyzed and visualized police dispatch data to determine the effectiveness of the new 411 mental health hotline. The goal of this new line is to reduce mental health crisis calls to the generic 911 number. Her third project involved supporting the development of Professor Bob Wilson’s Justice Reinvestment Course through the creation of a library of research materials.
For the 2023-2024 academic year Adriana is completing her Internship and Professional Practice (IPP) at the State of Connecticut’s Office of Policy and Management (OPM) as a Data and Policy Analytics Intern. At OPM she regularly works with expert storytellers who help her answer questions about collecting data, designing surveys and building visualizations. In the fall she also began an Advanced Data Specialist role with the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts (CFWM). Across her roles she is transferring SPP skills, she describes,
One day I am writing policy for AI at OPM and the next day I am using what I learned to write data governance and protection policies for the staff at CFWM. I use data regularly to tell stories and help others understand the impact of the work at CFWM.
Learning about the effect of social issues on an individual across their lifetime is one of the most important things Adriana has learned in the classroom. She explains,
I feel that with this program I now have a heightened awareness of the way most social issues have come to be and how to dissect strategies for addressing them. This is critical in my role at CFWM because our job is to fund and advocate for the areas in which our community is facing the most challenges. It’s a hard thing to pinpoint, but knowing where to start and what tools I can lean on allows me to contribute greatly in my roles.
We can not wait to see where Adriana takes her data storytelling skills next!
If you are interested in the work of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts please visit their website and subscribe to their newsletter. Their scholarship application for college students, including high school seniors, in Pioneer Valley or Hartford County is open until March 31st. This program allowed Adriana to start college!