Kaitlin Valino’s Lone Star College System journey began with dual credit courses in high school, and she completed her associate degree in political science this spring at LSC-University Park.

A TikTok post from a student attending her dream school—the University of Texas—inspired Valino to seek an internship with a local elected official to develop her resume. She soon landed a policy fellowship in Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s office, where she gained valuable experience serving the nation’s third-largest county.

“I was really interested in studying government and its relationship to society and comparing different government systems to see how we can innovate as a society,” Valino said. “I got the interview and was nervous because this was the first time I had a professional interview like this. I didn’t know much about policy other than what I learned in a Texas government course.”

But the high expectations from her professors at LSC-University Park helped prepare Valino for a fast-paced work environment with quick deadlines.

“Being exposed to the rigorous academic material in my classes at Lone Star College helped me develop the skills to complete my work on time,” she said. “My professors were hard graders, so similar to evaluating the rubrics for my classwork, I would ask my supervisor questions and get clarifications so I knew how to meet her expectations.”

The internship consisted of writing policy briefings, attending county meetings and contributing to research supporting the policy department. Valino said she learned to communicate more confidently, manage her time better, network, and ask intentional questions. The experience also helped her identify what she wants out of her future career.

This fall, she plans to transfer to the University of Texas, where she hopes to secure an internship at the Texas Capitol in Austin. Ultimately, she would like to pursue a career in law. Her interests include criminal defense, constitutional law and immigration law.

Valino brought takeaways from her internship back to her peers, sharing her firsthand experience working in county government, shedding light on career opportunities there, and offering advice about putting themselves out there and making a difference in their communities through advocacy.

“I definitely learned how to believe in myself,” Valino said. “I came into this internship with no experience, and I wasn’t confident in myself. The other interns and policy advisors helped me develop that confidence and realize I did have something to contribute. Even if I didn’t always have the right skills, I could learn and adapt.”

One of Valino’s biggest cheerleaders during her fellowship program was her supervisor, Selena Garcia, Harris County policy and court management advisor and fellow LSC-University Park graduate. Garcia leads a policy portfolio with 1.4 million immigrants countywide, and her role is to advance immigration justice and implement equity initiatives across the county.

Garcia joined Hidalgo’s office as a policy fellow in 2021, and she now manages the program herself.

“I think it’s critical for community college students to be exposed to this work; we just need to get that opportunity to them,” Garcia said. “I just want to give them as much access as I can.”

Garcia graduated from high school in 2014, just a couple of years before learning she was undocumented. She had dreamed of getting her family out of poverty, but this moment felt like the prospect of higher education was coming to an end.

Fortunately, she qualified for the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which made the world more navigable. For the first time in a long time, she was able to dream about pursuing higher education again.

Her journey as a first-generation college student wasn’t easy, but Garcia graduated from LSC-University Park in 2016 and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Houston-Downtown Northwest in 2019. From there, she participated in the Harris County Policy Fellow program while earning her master’s degree in political social work from the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work.

“I credit Lone Star College-University Park a lot,” Garcia said. “My time there taught me how to be courageous and how to ask for help when I need something. It really started with the moment of showing up, although I didn’t feel like I belonged. A decade later, I would be leading one of the biggest policy portfolios for the highest elected official in the county.”

And now Garcia is giving the next generation the chance to make their dreams a reality.

“I’m a dream maker for others, even when I can’t make my dreams come true,” Garcia said. “If I have been able to take 10 steps to get where I’m at, I don’t want the next person to have to take as many steps.”

Lone Star College System offers more than 200 degree and certification programs, including in Criminal Justice, Political Science and Public Service, preparing students for meaningful careers. Learn more at LoneStar.edu/Programs-Of-Study.

Lone Star College System enrolls over 90,000 students each semester providing high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education. LSCS is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Mario K. Castillo, J.D., serves as Chancellor of LSCS, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and has been named a 2025 Great Colleges to Work For® institution by the Chronicle of Higher Education. LSCS consists of eight colleges, six centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence and Lone Star Corporate College. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.