Summer Fellow Interview: Natalia Chavez
Natalia Chavez is the Communications and Outreach Director at Urbanability, a Boston-based non-profit organization that focuses on empowering underserved communities from an urban planning perspective. She recently worked at the Harvard Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation where she worked on democracy programming and the legislative negotiation project. Previously, Natalia served as a Research and Policy Analyst at Covered California, the health insurance marketplace under the Affordable Care Act, where she conducted data management and quantitative analysis on consumer enrollment data. Natalia has also worked on state election campaigns and as a Press Aide for the Democratic Caucus of the California State Assembly. With a background in data analysis, public policy, and community building, Natalia is committed to building healthy communities by addressing difficult policy problems. She is interested in increasing economic opportunities, health and well-being, access to education, and political representation for underserved communities. She will be a fellow at at Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics (MONUM).
Why did you choose to apply for this fellowship and how did you hear about it?
I chose to apply to the MONUM fellowship because of the impressive individuals that have gone through the fellowship. MONUM combines my interest in local government, urban planning, and solving difficult problems. I [learned about the fellowship] when I was browsing through the IOC website and looked through the student opportunities tab. I read through the fellowships and the MONUM summer internship caught my eye and I decided to apply.