The main reason you should apply to SPI? To meet incredible changemakers like Claudia Gonzalez. Claudia is one of our inspiring alum of the Dr. Beatriz María Solís Policy Institute (SPI) Fellowship. As a formerly incarcerated Chicanx woman, Claudia is a community organizer and advocate in California’s Central Valley dedicated to creating opportunities for other formerly incarcerated women and helping illuminate the pathway for those just beginning the healing, transformation, and leadership process.
Reflecting on her experience, she said, “Once I completed my [SPI] fellowship, I knew this was the field I belonged in and I have never looked back.” Claudia shared with us her five reasons why applying to the SPI Fellowship should be at the top of your list.
Claudia’s Top 5 Reasons
1) Being a part of Solís Policy Institute Fellowship will give you the opportunity to meet, work with, and build relationships with amazing folks who will become lifelong friends!
2) SPI will allow you to take up space in policy! There are not enough POCs, Indigenous, Chicanx, or Latinx folks engaged in this field. The fellowship is a tool to help you create that space. Once I completed my fellowship, I knew this was the field I belonged in and I have never looked back.
3) This fellowship will give you the platform to elevate issues in your community. Any time I speak about policy, I’m also centering the Central Valley, the place I call home, and which I will never stop advocating for.
4) If your organization is looking to expand its policy work, SPI is a good foundation. I became the first full-time policy staff member at my organization after completing my fellowship. Two years later, we are now a team of five and growing!
5) You get the opportunity to learn from amazing advocates in the field and most importantly, alum! Knowing someone went through the same fellowship and is now considered an expert will inspire you.
Don’t miss out on this life-changing opportunity to become a catalyst for change like Claudia. Take the leap and apply for the SPI fellowship today! To learn more about the program and begin your application process, visit our website. The application deadline is July 19th, so be sure to submit your application soon.
Together, we can create a feminist future for California and advance racial, economic, and gender justice.