Genesis Santiago

CHCI Education Postgraduate Fellow Presented by Walton Family Foundation
Hometown: New York City, New York and Tampa, Florida
School: Georgetown University
Degree: Master of Public Policy
Placement: The Office of Congresswoman Fredrica Wilson

Genesis (she/her) is one of three daughters born to parents who arrived in New York City from the Dominican Republic in the 1980s. Growing up, her parents imparted onto her the value of hard work and excelling academically; her mom in particular would always remind her that the only way to find success in the United States was through obtaining an education. In primary school, Genesis’ upbringing became her guiding principle which motivated her through the difficulties in learning English and overcoming her struggles with literacy.

Years later, Genesis moved from New York to Tampa, Florida where she completed most of her secondary and postsecondary education and where her family now resides. There, Genesis earned three undergraduate degrees in History, Secondary Social Studies Education, and Classics from the University of South Florida. After graduation, she began her seven-year career as a Latin and Spanish teacher. It was both the importance she places on education and her experience in the classroom that helped Genesis realize that the next step was to aim for a master’s degree in Public Policy with a concentration in education. Thus, she left Florida to pursue her master’s at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. During her time there, she had the opportunity to serve as the Lead Organizational Development Student Manager for McCourt’s Policy Innovation Lab, an organization dedicated to partnering with local community and government entities to address and provide technical assistance for the most pressing policy issues impacting the most marginalized residents of DC. 

Given her extensive education and professional experience, Genesis understands that a significant part of the discourse surrounding education happens at the state and local levels. Nonetheless, as a CHCI Postgraduate Fellow, she looks forward to learning the most effective ways on moving the needle towards bettering public school education at the federal policy-making level. She also eagerly seeks to obtain new skills, particularly leadership, that will one day guide her to becoming a responsible and knowledgeable elected official.