![user profile avatar](https://static.bold.org/profilePictures/1655650500112.webp)
Hobbies and interests
Knitting
Drawing And Illustration
Singing
Horseback Riding
Reading
Academic
Adult Fiction
Biography
Chick Lit
Classics
Cookbooks
Design
Economics
Gardening
Historical
History
Labor
Literature
Politics
Social Issues
Social Science
Travel
I read books multiple times per week
Emily Strange
1,695
Bold Points1x
Finalist1x
Winner![user profile avatar](https://static.bold.org/profilePictures/1655650500112.webp)
Emily Strange
1,695
Bold Points1x
Finalist1x
WinnerBio
Dedicated to making homelessness rare, short, and one time, I have spent my time in education and early career learning about the best strategies in order to reach that goal. I am currently working in policy research, with the goal of obtaining a masters degree in either city planning or public administration. I hope to use this to be an important voice in government, since so often the people making decisions for others have no experience with the things they are deciding on.
Education
University of California-Berkeley
Master's degree programMajors:
- Public Policy Analysis
University of California-Berkeley
Bachelor's degree programMajors:
- Sociology
Miscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Master's degree program
Graduate schools of interest:
Transfer schools of interest:
Majors of interest:
Career
Dream career field:
Government Administration
Dream career goals:
BVS and Training Coordinator, Fiscal Notes Analyst
Washington State Department of Commerce2021 – 20221 year
Sports
Equestrian
2001 – 201514 years
Research
Public Policy Analysis
Mathematica — Research Associate2022 – PresentSociology
UC Berkeley — Research Apprentice2019 – 2019
Arts
Bay Area Discovery Museum
Painting2012 – 2015
Public services
Volunteering
Giant Steps Therapeutic Riding Center — Volunteer2013 – 2014Advocacy
Washington Housing Alliance Action Fund — Community Organizing Fellow2019 – 2020
Future Interests
Advocacy
Politics
Volunteering
Philanthropy
Youth Equine Service Scholarship
WinnerMy early life revolved around horses. Posters of different horses lined the walls of my bedroom, my youtube history was filled with gorgeous prancing ponies and magnificent mustangs. You really couldn’t get me to talk about anything else. I was, as one would say, the quintessential horse girl. I spent all day at the barn, working off my lessons by mucking stalls, babysitting pay clients’ children, or anything that anyone needed done. I genuinely thought that this was enough to continue riding. It wasn’t until I was 16 when my mom sat me down and discussed with me that we no longer could afford for me to ride. She explained to me that she had been cutting back everywhere she could, but our finances finally reached a point where horses had to go too. I was devastated. I felt a part of my identity had been taken away. I understood why this had to happen, but that didn’t change how I felt about it.
When I turned 20, I scraped together enough money for a car. And with that, came the ability for me to consider horses again. Unfortunately, my finances couldn’t carry the burden of lessons either, but I was determined to be around them somehow. That’s when I discovered Giant Steps, a therapeutic riding center near me who was in need of volunteers. This was my first experience with volunteering for something that was just my decision. I wasn’t forced to do it for school, I didn’t do it with a group of people, it was just mine. And it changed my life.
The people I met through this program were some of the kindest people I had ever known, both the riders and the trainers. I still remember a moment where one of the riders almost fell off, but I caught them before they hit the ground. I felt so proud of the work that I was doing that I knew that I only wanted to do something with my life that made me feel this way.
Eventually, my life fully took me away from horses (though I’m fully determined to get back to it once I finish my education), but I’m still firmly rooted in the things I learned through that work. I spent a year volunteering for an advocacy organization, and I work now for a non-profit helping with grants. And after school, my plan is to continue working in the non-profit space. I want to use the tools I've learned to make the world a better place than I found it. And I hope one day to return to Giant Steps as a volunteer.