Luis Gustavo Carvajal Villalobos

Title: Youth Mentor

Employer: North Suffolk Mental Health Association

Degree & graduation year: Master of Public Policy, 2022

What I do: Youth services navigator for young adults living in Chelsea.

How I ended up working there: Connections made while at UMass.

The best part of my job: Supporting young adults with goals and challenges.

A recent exciting work experience: Opening an Access Center for young adults in Chelsea, Massachusetts.

How the School of Public Policy prepared me for my career: First, it instructed me on how to navigate public agencies and nonprofits. Second, I learned how to evaluate programs and design projects. Third, part of my task is to support data collection using statistical software on a daily basis. Finally, as an international student, it provided a general overview of Massachusetts culture and government structure and improved my language skills.

Advice to students considering a degree in public policy: Public policy involves a wide range of activities. You will notice that every other job application includes "Master's in Public Policy" as a desirable diploma. There are opportunities in basically every field out there.

Future plans: I look to create and manage new programs in the human rights field.

Posted November 2022