Favorite Parts of Being a Program Evaluation Specialist at UC San Diego
Merissa, a Program Evaluation Specialist, finds the most fulfilling aspect of her role is "having results to share," whether through reports or policy recommendations, because this data-driven approach allows for improvements and informs impactful changes within local communities. The creative advising component, coupled with the ultimate goal of influencing policy, adds to the career's impact and sense of fulfillment.
Data Analysis, Project Management, Communication, Problem-Solving, Community Impact
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Merissa Kado-Walton
Program Evaluation Specialist
University of California, San Diego
UCLA 2014
San Diego State University, MA in Psychology
Psychology
Healthcare, Medical & Wellness
Data and Analytics
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Student Athlete, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Seeing tangible results and sharing findings through reports, conferences, and manuscripts.
2. Advising projects and the county on effective interventions and contributing creatively to solutions.
3. Making a positive impact on local communities and influencing policy changes through evaluation findings.
Transcript
What do you enjoy most about being a program evaluation specialist?
The part I enjoy the most is being able to look at the results of everything that we're working on. Sometimes we get really deep in the weeds looking at data, collecting data, or anything like that.
I think the most enjoyable part is actually having results to share with others, whether that's just in a report, at a conference, or in a manuscript. I think that's the most exciting piece because it also informs us what we can do next or what we can do to improve on things.
Another aspect I really enjoy is that we're able to advise either other projects or the county itself on what we think would be a good intervention or things that we could do. So there is a creative aspect to it, which is nice.
Ultimately, the outcome of what I'm doing does feel fulfilling. It's nice to see our information leading to policy changes, slowly but eventually. So yeah, it's nice because it feels like we're actually making an impact in our local communities.
Advizer Personal Links
No