Policy People

In this episode of The Policy People, joining the conversation is Alejandro Cuauhtemoc-Mejia, a Silicon Valley co-founder and strategist with a career path as unique as his name. Alejandro shares his journey from working at Televisa Univision to leading strategy for Didi, and eventually co-founding the Silicon Valley Certification Hub.In this episode, you will hear:• The Strategist’s Bridge: Why strategy is the essential link between where you are and your ultimate goal.• Growth Marketing Decoded: How data-driven digital acquisition differs from traditional marketing and why public policy graduates are uniquely suited for it.• The AI Shift: Alejandro’s perspective on "structural unemployment" and why he believes AI will build more jobs than it destroys.• The "In-Between" Advice: Practical tips for new graduates navigating a tough job market, including how to build an online presence and maintain mental resilience.This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to reshape their perception of what a Harris MPP degree represents and discover how to translate hard policy skills into the fast-paced tech ecosystem.

Amber Mercier, class of 2010, has dedicated her career to supporting students on their exchange education journey. She strongly believes in the power of education,especially one that is globally diverse. In this episode with dive deeper into what she has done with IES and other volunteer activities for the betterment of youth and children and why she does it.

Sarah Guminski, class of 2017, is currently head of startup experience at 1871, a nonprofit that helps entrepreneurs.She comes from a heavy research background, thinking she would do a Ph.D only to later change her perspective and goal completely.Our conversation with her has one big takeaway: you never make mistakes in your 20s; you gain experiences and whatever you choose was the best thing you could have done at that very moment!

Jihan Varisco (Class of ‘14) has built something truly impactful during his time at Harris.Through The Flip Side, he is pursuing his mission of bridging the gap between liberals and conservatives. With more than 20,000 subscribers, the platform has grown into a space for uncovering perspectives beyond what mainstream media often presents.This special episode follows the assassination of Charlie Kirk (1993–2025), a man who dedicated his life to spreading his ideas and practicing freedom of speech.In memory of Charlie—and with the hope of restoring tolerance toward differing ideologies.

Adam Nation, class of 2015, is our guest for the third episode of Policy Podcast. Adam has done extensive work in public health, and in this episode, he shares his journey of trying to make people healthier in body and mind. He also shares with us fond recollections of his classmate Jim Howes, who recently passed. In Jim's memory, we are sharing resources for those wishing to make contributions to his scholarship, or those who are going through a hard time. The donations can be made to a few different places:The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention at https://afsp.orgThe National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Wood County at https://namiwoodcounty.orgOr to the “James Coleman Howes Memorial” at Bowling Green State University (may need to send details of this) By mail: Checks made payable to BGSU Foundation, Inc. - Memo: James Coleman Howes MemorialBGSU Foundation, Inc.Mileti Alumni CenterBowling Green, OH 43403By Phone: 419.372.7648Help is available, talk to someone today: 988 Suicide and Crisis LifelineLanguages: English, Spanish ,Hours: Available 24 hours#PublicPolicy #UniversityofChicago #Mentalhealth #PublicHealth

Robert Callahan (Class of 2016) has joined us for the second episode to discuss his current position at the Office of New York City Comptroller as the Director of Policy Analytics and the logistical, financial, social, and personal challenges that he faces related to his work.In addition, we discuss what led him to Harris and his eclectic past of careers and hobbies. Formerly, Robert was an aspiring Chicago-based improv comedian, campaign staff for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and budget analyst. Currently, he raises chickens as a hobby in his place of residence in New York City. We hope you enjoy what Robert has to share with us, and look forward to seeing you for the next episode! 

To start our second season, where we will be interviewing alumni, we have asked Alberto Ramos (Class of 2012) to be our first guest. He was this year’s convocation speaker and did a wonderful job graduating us! Since graduating from Harris, and even before that, Alberto has had both an interesting life and turn of events that led him to that same life. We hope you enjoy listening to what Alberto has to share as much as we did!

It is the last episode, hopefully the last as a Harris student and not the end of the road for this podcast. For two years, we laughed, cried, showed vulnerability and became better versions of ourselves. To all of you, to all of us and to the class of 2025!

Now that we are approaching the end of the program, I decided to invite Melodie Angel Slaughter and Karan Kapoor for the sixth episode to talk about highs and lows of life and how we found God in the darkness. The three of us all have different beliefs but despite that difference our God is one. The belief led us to be kinder people, one of a kind. 

Neil Stein MPP’ 25 and Lauren Schmidt are my guests for the fifth episode. They both have had very different backgrounds and paths but what make them an amazing duo are  their curiosity and their courage. We will discuss how taking a hard decision can change your life for good and learn more about the challenges of these hard decisions!

We’re kicking off the new year with a special episode featuring two incredible guests—John (Jay) Parish and Madison Moreau. John served in the U.S. Army for 13 years before coming to Harris, while Madison grew up in a military family as the daughter of Navy Admiral Jack Moreau. Together, they share both the extraordinary and everyday experiences of life in and around the military—offering firsthand insight into what it truly means to be affiliated with the U.S. Armed Forces.

In the last episode of 2024, I had Omar Ansari and William Wu, two second-year MPP students talk about their solo journeys. They both moved to the States by themselves at a young age and throughout this episode, we will talk about the feeling of home now that the holiday season is on. 

In the second episode of policy people, we have Ralph Valery Valiere and LaVontae Brooks, two MPP students with extensive experience in their governments of Haiti and the United States. In this episode we dive deeper into the role of an official in a governmental setting, how these two ended up where they were and their advice for those looking to follow their leads. 

Policy People is the newest podcast from the University of Chicago Public Policy Podcast Network (UC3P). In this series, we will be interviewing current MPP and MSCAPP students on their previous experiences, their background, and why and how they ended up in Harris! There are so many stories waiting to be unfolded, and we want you to be part of it!In the first episode, we will be interviewing two of the most well-known students here, Shivani Patel – MPP ’25 and Joaquin Pinto- MSCAPP ‘2025 on their journey so far. These two are focusing on Data science, economics, international development, and public finance.