{"id":227476,"date":"2026-02-18T15:18:42","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T20:18:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=227476"},"modified":"2026-03-04T10:16:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T15:16:57","slug":"how-montclair-turned-my-passion-for-service-into-a-career-in-policy-and-child-advocacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2026\/02\/18\/how-montclair-turned-my-passion-for-service-into-a-career-in-policy-and-child-advocacy\/","title":{"rendered":"How Montclair Turned My Passion for Service into a Career in Policy and Child Advocacy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jose Carlos Aguilar spent last fall helping children find safe places to live, one of several internships and fellowships that have taken him into child welfare, government and advocacy work. At ÌÇÐÄvlog, he has also contributed to child maltreatment research and taken on leadership roles, building toward a career in government and child protection.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Looking back, Aguilar, a double major in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/academics\/programs\/ba-political-science\/\">Political Science<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/academics\/programs\/ba-child-advocacy-and-policy\/\">Child Advocacy and Policy<\/a>, is surprised by where those experiences have taken him.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If, as a high school senior, you told me I\u2019d have these opportunities, I would have said absolutely not. I knew I wanted to work in government, but I didn\u2019t think the Governor\u2019s Office or these fellowships were for me. Having a strong support system has given me values and confidence that I belong in those spaces.\u201d \u2013 Jose Carlos Aguilar &#8217;26<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2><strong>Learning Through Internships and Fellowships<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>For Montclair, his story is one example behind its recognition as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2025\/09\/30\/2026-college-rankings-montclair-named-no-1-public-institution-in-nj-top-30-public-in-the-nation\/\">top 30 public university nationally<\/a> \u2013 rankings that highlight how well its graduates are prepared for strong outcomes after college.<\/p>\n<p>From state offices to child welfare agencies, Aguilar has worked in a variety of settings during his time at Montclair, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The Division of Child Protection and Permanency<\/strong>, where he helped children who had been removed from their households and worked to place them in new homes or reunify them with family.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Governor\u2019s Office<\/strong>, where he contributed to outreach efforts in the Labor Relations and Stakeholders Engagement Unit and saw how government initiatives can support underserved communities.<\/li>\n<li>Supporting the research of Professor Emily Douglas in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/social-work-and-child-advocacy\/\">Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy<\/a>, analyzing child maltreatment data across the United States.<\/li>\n<li>A combined undergraduate and graduate research team, led by Douglas, examining safe haven relinquishment data in partnership with the <strong>National Safe Haven Alliance<\/strong>; the team surveyed Montclair students about their attitudes and opinions on safe havens, and their work was recently accepted for publication in an open-access journal later this year.<\/li>\n<li>Campaign and leadership development experiences, from putting lessons from his Campaign Politics course into practice by phone banking, canvassing and knocking on doors for a candidate to participating in fellowships such as <strong>America Needs You<\/strong> and the <strong>Governor\u2019s Hispanic Fellows Program<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Inspired by a First-Gen Grad<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aguilar\u2019s path to Montclair began years earlier, when his aunt, Montclair alumna Daisy Layme \u201920, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/academics\/programs\/bs-molecular-biology\/\">Molecular Biology<\/a> major, brought him to campus as a sixth grader to study in breakout rooms; she tutored him in science while he helped her with Greek mythology, one of his passions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Seeing his aunt as the first in the family to go to college, at a Hispanic-Serving Institution filled with people who shared their background, convinced him that Montclair was both aspirational and attainable.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_227517\" class=\"responsive-image-holder wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mlt-responsive-image\" data-original-image=\"\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/111325_76671_Student-Jose-Carlos-Aguilar_MP.jpg\" src=\"\/responsive-media\/cache\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/111325_76671_Student-Jose-Carlos-Aguilar_MP.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg\" alt=\"Jose Carlos Aguilar, dressed in a black shirt and patterned tie, stands confidently outside a glass-fronted office building, holding a shoulder bag and phone, with blurred pedestrians and Paterson\u2019s urban architecture in the background.\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jose Carlos Aguilar carries forward an improv mindset that guides how he listens, learns and serves others. (Photo by University Photographer Mike Peters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>Theater as Training for Public Life<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aguilar, who grew up in both Passaic and Clifton, also visited campus for theater events and programs with his vocational high school. At that school, he focused on theater, working both onstage and behind the scenes. The experience made him comfortable speaking to different audiences and aware of how he moves and communicates. \u201cI\u2019ve been able to take that away and put that into the field that I\u2019m in now,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aguilar carries forward an improv principle that guides how he engages with others. \u201cI believe in \u2018yes, and,\u2019 a technique where you listen and then continue the conversation. That\u2019s important for someone like me who wants to go into policy and public service. Listening to people, gaining their experiences and driving the conversation forward to better serve them \u2013 that excites me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>COVID: A Turning Point Toward Policy<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It was during his senior year of high school, the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, that Aguilar began to set his sights on serving others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cI saw people going through unfortunate circumstances and the federal policies enacted didn\u2019t seem to be in the best interest of the public. I started acquiring more knowledge. I became fascinated by what was going on globally, locally and statewide. I went beyond politics to wonder how policy worked \u2013 who drives these things.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cSeeing leaders pushing forward agendas and policy that I align with, I thought to myself, how can I put in the work to do that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Next Steps in Public Service<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As he prepares to graduate in May 2026, Aguilar, an Educational Opportunity Fund scholar, continues to serve in leadership roles with three student clubs: Child Advocacy and Policy, NJAEA Future Educators Association and Spark Pride Alliance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cIf my career allows me to better my community, the State of New Jersey and help others, I\u2019ll feel satisfied,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cHaving been given so much, I can\u2019t be a taker \u2013 I have to be a giver. That\u2019s my commitment right now, and wherever I end up, I know for sure I want to serve the public.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Ready to start your Montclair journey?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Accepted Students:<\/strong> Secure your spot and register to attend <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/admissions\/accepted-student-day\/\">Accepted Student Day.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Prospective Students:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/admissions\/visit-us\/\">Visit campus<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/admissions\/visit-us\/\">apply<\/a> to ÌÇÐÄvlog.<\/li>\n<li class=\"my-2 [&amp;+p]:mt-4 [&amp;_strong:has(+br)]:inline-block [&amp;_strong:has(+br)]:pb-2\"><strong>Journalists:<\/strong> Contact Montclair\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/university-communications\/media-relations\/\">Media Relations<\/a> for photographs or to schedule an interview.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/\/ Output tags as a list for Google Analytics custom dimension\nwindow.MSU_TagList = [];\n<\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Internships, research and campus leadership at ÌÇÐÄvlog are helping Jose Carlos Aguilar launch a career in government and child protection reform<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":434,"featured_media":227493,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-227476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-admissions","category-social-sciences"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/434"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=227476"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227476\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":227521,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227476\/revisions\/227521"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/227493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=227476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=227476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=227476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}