Finding Your Voice in Technology & Policy Fellowships
If you were to ask Roxanna Barboza five years ago about where she saw herself after college, she would not tell you that she would be working in telecommunications. However, after finding an internship opportunity at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and working as a Univision Policy Fellow at the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC), her outlook has completely changed.
At NHMC, Univision Policy Fellows work on telecom policy research, analysis, writing as well as public speaking skills. Fellowships are a way to not only learn more about an area of interest, but to help students find their voice in telecom policy. That was the case for Roxanna Barboza, a second year Master of Public Administration candidate and undergraduate senior studying Public Policy at University of Southern California. She is personally committed to helping bridge the digital divide in rural America.
Barboza interned at FCC headquarters during the summer of 2018 and wanted to learn more about shaping telecom policy with a focus on helping consumers in communities of color. This lead her to NHMC where, six months into her fellowship, she has already had opportunities to write about issues related to hate speech, privacy, the Lifeline Program, and digital access. Barboza traveled to Washington D.C. to speak at NHMC’s Hispanic Heritage Month event where she highlighted the obstacles for residents in California’s San Joaquin Valley and also attended their Washington D.C. Impact Awards. In November 2018, she met with Univision government relations and policy leaders who provided her with insight on the work that Univision is doing to elevate voices in the Latino community.
Coming from a small town named Lost Hills in California’s San Joaquin Valley, Barboza never envisioned that she would be able to lift up the stories of how the digital divide has impacted her hometown or being able to contribute to the solution. The Valley stretches 450 miles and is California’s single most productive agricultural region, providing more than half of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts grown in the United States. However, for Barboza and the millions of Americans who struggle with being disconnected, the lack of access to broadband continues to limit educational and economic opportunities.
When Barboza began her college journey, she planned to focus on education. Working in the field coupled with her own experience of not having internet access at home led her to organizations like the FCC, Wireless Internet Service Providers Association, and NHMC where she hoped to be a part of the solution. In particular, the Univision Policy Fellowship at NHMC has given her opportunities of a lifetime, ranging from learning more about career opportunities, exploring a city that she now sees herself living in after college, enhancing her writing skills, and most importantly, realizing the importance of her voice in developing telecom solutions. Now, if you were to ask Barboza where she sees herself after graduation, you would find out about her plans to work on bridging the digital divide in rural America with a focus on helping people of color.
There are many students like Barboza who are anxious to learn more about opportunities in tech policy and telecom, but simply do not have the toolkit or opportunity. Technology fellowships like the NHMC Univision Policy Fellowship is one way for them to find their calling.
