Spotlights

Fernanda Caceres, a 2023 graduate of the LBJ School’s Masters in Global Policy Studies (MGPS) program and the RGK Center's Nonprofit Portfolio program, is applying lessons she learned in graduate school to her work in food and water systems at The Nature Conservancy, a global environmental nonprofit.

Portfolio alum Lily Trieu is the Founder and Executive Director of Asian Texans for Justiuce, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated ti engaging Texas' diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the democratic process.

UT Austin students and alumni gathered at the LBJ School last Tuesday to discuss the critical role of legislative advocacy in policymaking and to explore career opportunities in the field. Panelists discussed their personal experiences working in legislative advocacy through nonprofits and shared tips on squeezing the most out of the graduate school experience.

LBJ student Muhammad Qasim worked with the City of Austin’s Office of Innovation to develop a Grant Funding Opportunity Evaluation tool through the CONNECT program last spring. The tool, which was released this week, can be used by potential grantees to assess whether a funding opportunity is the right fit for their organization. 

As she was completing her PhD in Special Education last fall, CONNECT fellow Zhina Shen worked alongside local nonprofit Joshua’s Stage to further develop their data collection methods and improve their ability to measure, track, and communicate the impact of their programs.

Portfolio alum Robert Brehm's current doctoral research focuses on the polarization of public healthcare issues.

In spring 2023, RAISE Texas began working with CONNECT to examine the effect that medical debt has on Texans, especially those who are low-income and in communities of color. CONNECT fellow Ziyi Wang worked with RAISE Texas to further develop the data needed to propose model bills in the 2025 state legislative session addressing medical debt and healthcare barriers in the state.

Social work alum Blanca N. Garcia shares her experience in clinical social work and the work she does with Grant Halliburton Foundation in Dallas, Texas.

Read more about Nonprofit Studies portfolio alum Gerald Napoles, who graduated from UT Austin with his PhD in Educational Administration.

CONNECT fellow Christopher Reyes, a graduate student at UT School of Public Health, worked alongside a team at Ascension Seton to expand and improve their Food is the Best Medicine program.