Horizons Unlimited

Jose Diaz, an alum of UChicago’s Graduate Student-at-Large (GSAL) program and a current student at the Harris School of Public Policy, exemplifies this talent to its fullest. Having grown up in a financially insecure community in Northwest Indiana, he’s overcome formidable obstacles through intensely hard work and perseverance to now find himself in a place nearly unimaginable from his perspective when young.

“No one mentioned college growing up,” he says. “I wasn’t given the confidence to think I could do that. But I knew I wanted more, and I always held that as a goal of mine.”

Today, after nine years in the Coast Guard and a degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, he is a regional director for the US Senator Todd Young, where he serves as key liaison on issues related to government, business, and civic organizations across multiple counties in Northwest Indiana.

“At every step along the way, I’ve looked back and tried to make sense of how I got there,” he says. “Whether it was graduating Coast Guard’s basic training or taking off my uniform for the last time, or when I graduated from Cal, I’ve seen how much achieving my goals has meant just putting myself in an environment where success is possible. And while I’ve doubted myself on occasion and wondered whether I’d find the support to help me through, I’ve come to see how that’s something you’ll never know until you throw yourself into that situation.”

Diaz’s experience at UChicago—both in the GSAL program and now at Harris—has become the latest chapter of his achievement.

“I remember as a kid hearing about UChicago and never seeing it as a reality,” Diaz says. “My reality was a much more challenging one, and going to a place like UChicago was never really something I thought feasible.”

A couple decades on, with much having changed in his life, Diaz came across some GSAL informational materials that explained how this program could be the bridge that helps students overcome obstacles and take strides in their education or careers. He didn’t hesitate to investigate further.

“Pursuing an advanced degree had become a goal of mine—a passion even—and GSAL seemed like the perfect way to segue into it,” he says. “It just seemed really incredible that I could apply to GSAL and be able to take courses for credit while expanding my network at a university with the reputation and influence of University of Chicago.”

Diaz also understood how GSAL would be a great introduction to the University and means to experience firsthand the opportunities it could provide. Since he was already eyeing Harris as a potential place to pursue a degree in public policy, the GSAL program would be a great way not only to enhance his grad school application, but it would also introduce him to people who could be pivotal in steering him down the path he hoped to pursue.

“When you’re taking GSAL courses there’s no distinction between yourself and the rest of the student body,” he says. “You have a UChicago student ID, a UChicago email address you use to correspond with professors, and you have access to the same student services available to students on specific degree tracks. You really feel like you’re a part of the UChicago community and that allowed me to have some pride and ownership.”

Just as important for creating the support needed to succeed in this new environment, Diaz says, was Esther Pandian-Riske, director of the GSAL program, and her team of advisors.

“Esther met me at the door,” he says. “She was incredible. I cannot emphasize enough how impactful the team was when it came to keeping me engaged and connected. More than just updates on the latest seminars or lectures I’d be able to attend on campus, they were there in those moments when I questioned whether I was on the right path and each time they helped me find the extra energy to keep plugging at it.”

Diaz also points to the GSAL weekly happy hours where both alums and current students get together to speak about and share their experiences. “It’s an incredible opportunity to speak with alums who used the program to take their next step to Booth or Harris or some other graduate program,” Diaz says. “You’re broadening your network base, you’re hearing insights, and maybe you’re also getting together with some of these individuals for coffee, mentorship, or just to share common interests.”

In the end, when it came to applying for his advanced degree, Diaz sent out a single application. “I didn’t want to go anywhere else,” he says. “Harris was the only program I wanted to be a part of once GSAL gave me confidence in my fit at UChicago and my ability to do well and thrive there.”

Diaz is currently carving out his path and selecting his focus areas from among the rich range of options at Harris.

Working for a senator who spearheaded parts of the CHIPS Act of 2022—the federal statute directing billions of dollars to the research and manufacturing of semiconductors—Diaz says he is “particularly interested in learning the policy side of AI, quantum computing, and some of these other frontier technologies that are changing the ways we’re living our lives.”

But Diaz is rooted in the core areas of public policy and politics as well—education, healthcare, veterans’ affairs, and more—and he looks forward to deepening his understanding of these areas. “I think one thing that I’ll bring to class is my active and real-life experience into how changes in society and technology drive policy, and how policy drives those changes in turn,” he says.

Beyond what he’ll learn, however, Diaz is primed to engage as fully as possible with the new and unanticipated sources of growth he is sure to discover at Harris.

“For someone who grew up in a situation like mine, where so much seemed unavailable, I feel like I’ve already uncovered a tremendous amount, and it’s only all the more exciting that UChicago has already given me—and will continue to give me—more of that boost that carves out new paths for me.”

Learn more about the Graduate Student-at-Large programs at UChicago and discover your bridge to what’s next.