Diana Pavón ‘18, MPA ‘20 is from the southwest Side of Chicago where she grew up with her immigrant family. UW contributed to her success by always keeping her informed about the endless opportunities available after graduation. Several centers such as SuccessWorks and Institute for Regional and International Studies supported Diana through several applications and job interviews. Additionally, the Chican@ and Latin@ Studies program offered Diana a home away from home at UW-Madison when she first arrived at campus in 2014. As a Latina Badger, she has the opportunity to show people from her community that it is possible to follow your dreams even when all stakes are against you. She believes it is her responsibility now to serve as a resource and mentor for students in her community who are interested in becoming Badgers.
Diana received her Bachelor's degree from UW in 2018 and later completed her Master of Public Affairs in 2015. Most recently, Diana just ended her Fulbright program grant in Madrid, Spain where she had the opportunity to serve as a Teaching Assistant at a high school. She also had the opportunity to perform some research in the public-school system in Madrid by interviewing teachers in her school. She was interested in how the COVID-19 pandemic affected Spanish public schools and their school culture. At the end of the grant, Diana traveled around Spain taking in all its beauty before heading back home to the United States. Diana successfully landed a job as a Program Coordinator at the University of Illinois - Chicago in their Math and Science Learning Center. She is supporting students throughout their higher educational journey. Diana has a few plans in her future, she hopes to open her own business and so she can be her own jefa. She also hopes to live abroad for a few years before settling down to build her own family.