Each of them arrived with different goals, but they shared one thing in common: a deep desire to serve their communities. For Chiara, it started in a graduate-level policy class, where EQNM’s Political Director Marshall Martinez spoke about advocacy work and encouraged students to apply. “I’m working toward a master’s and likely a doctorate,” Chiara shared, “but I knew that academic programs alone couldn’t show me how policy gets made. I didn’t want to draw conclusions just from theory.”
Yza came to the fellowship from a very different path. “I had dropped out of college and was just trying to make rent working full time,” they said. “I always had a deep interest in politics, but I didn’t think I’d ever have the chance to learn like this. This program made it possible. It gave me access to a world that felt totally out of reach before.”
For Arlo, the decision to apply came from a desire to understand how LGBTQ rights are shaped at the state level and what it really takes to pass legislation. “I wanted to learn how bills become law in New Mexico,” they explained. “I thought I understood the process before, but I didn’t know what I didn’t know.”
Throughout the program, each fellow gained an education far beyond textbooks.
“Being at the Roundhouse every day opens so many doors,” Yza reflected. “You see how much connection matters in this work. When people see you showing up, when they know you care—that builds trust. That’s what advocacy really is.”
The experience also helped them clarify what they want to do next. “My goals didn’t necessarily change,” Yza said, “but I have a much clearer vision of how I can help people and how I’ll get there. I even figured out which areas I might study if I decide to go back to school.”
Arlo shared a similar takeaway: “I want to pursue a career in policy analysis, and this showed me what that actually means—how organizations build coalitions, how we communicate with legislators, and what kind of language actually moves people.”
Chiara noted how valuable it was to watch advocacy organizations in action. “I loved connecting with folks from Bold Futures,” they said. “They were so generous with their time, explaining the process, making it make sense, and doing it all with kindness and humor.”
For Arlo, the same groups stood out: “Seeing Bold Futures and ACLU show up again and again, despite how hard this political moment is—that really stuck with me. Their resilience was inspiring. It reminded me that advocacy is about longevity, not just urgency.”
All three fellows agreed: Being inside the Roundhouse every day was transformative. It made the abstract real. “So much of what I’d learned before was theoretical,” Chiara said. “This gave me the missing piece—how the real world actually works. You can’t learn that in a classroom.”
And for Yza, the personal stakes couldn’t have been higher. “I used to think I’d never have this kind of chance because I always had to be working. This program paid us to show up—and that changed everything. Most people don’t realize how rare that is. It gave me the freedom to invest in something bigger than myself, to give my full effort without having to worry about rent or my car payment. That kind of opportunity is priceless.”
The most valuable part of the fellowship? For Arlo, it was the opportunity to study legislation up close and see how lawmakers actually communicate. “You learn what kinds of arguments resonate, how people signal support or disagreement, and which strategies are most effective. I’ll carry that knowledge for the rest of my life.”
For Chiara, it was about emotional insight, too. “Learning how to handle stress was huge,” they said. “The pace, the pressure—it’s a lot. But being in that environment gave me new skills, not just for policy work but for life.”
Yza echoed that sentiment, pointing to how personal the work became: “I met people whose lives were directly impacted by the legislation being debated. Their stories made it impossible not to care. The bills weren’t abstract anymore—they were real. That made me fight harder.”
EQNM intends to continue the program in future sessions, so anyone who is interested should periodically check the site, sign up for our newsletter, and follow us on social media to be sure to see the announcement for applicants when it drops for the 2026 Legislative Session.
