Eduardo Gutiérrez

CHCI Child Welfare Postgraduate Fellow
Hometown: Delano, California
School: University of Chicago
Degree: Master of Social Work
Placement: The Office of Senator Ben Ray Lujan

Eduardo (he/him/él) was born and raised in Delano, CA, a small town in the Central Valley. His parents immigrated from Michoacán, México as farmworkers, hoping to provide a better life for their family. Having witnessed the effects of inequitable policies on his family and community, Eduardo is determined to create systems change through policy advocacy.

Eduardo earned a B.A. in Spanish, Community, and Culture and Mexican Studies from UCLA. During his undergraduate career, he was significantly involved in immigrant rights and issues. Eduardo worked as a legal assistant at the Law Offices of Violeta Delgado, working closely with asylum seekers largely from Mexico and Central America. To ensure that Latino immigrant voices are included in the political process, he volunteered at the Council of Mexican Federations in North America (COFEM) and Plaza Comunitaria- Casa Durango supporting the services related to the U.S. naturalization process. Following his undergrad, Eduardo worked as a Support Counselor at Aspiranet, providing wraparound services to children and families affected by foster care and juvenile (in)justice systems. Realizing the disproportionate representation of Black and Latine children in the system, Eduardo saw the dire need for a change in child welfare policy.

Eduardo later went on to earn a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Chicago with a concentration in policy and social administration. During his time at the Center for the Study of Social Policy, Eduardo engaged with transition-age youth of color from across the United States to influence policies to better support youth transitioning out of the foster care system. As an intern at the Pritzker Family Foundation, Eduardo supported the Children’s Initiative by using qualitative and quantitative data to identify regions with high vulnerability and scarce resources for children and families. Most recently, at the Become Center, Eduardo contributed to producing culturally responsive program evaluations for community-based organizations within the Chicagoland area.

Eduardo plans to leverage his extensive background in working with children and families affected by child welfare systems to advocate for more equitable policies impacting underserved populations. As a CHCI-Child Welfare Postgraduate Fellow, he hopes to learn more about the legislative process while simultaneously sharpening his policy research skills. Eduardo aspires to take the connections made and knowledge gained through this fellowship to enact change in his community.