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.”