José Medina
Director of Business and Community Engagement
Indiana Commission for Higher Education
Indianapolis, IN USA
“It takes a village to make a difference in everyone’s lives.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationJosé Medina
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
I initially wanted to be a weatherman, so I started college as a climatology and meteorology major.
I eventually decided the major involved too much math for me, so I switched to political science.
After college, I did one year of service for Public Allies, an AmeriCorps program, where I worked at a food bank—I realized that getting paid to give back to the community really resonated with me.
I transferred to another nonprofit that did student mentoring and discovered that I especially liked focusing on education within the public service field.
That education interest led to me taking the opportunity to join the Indiana Commission for Higher Education as an outreach coordinator.
I spent a few years as an outreach coordinator, then moved up to community outreach manager, and now I’m working as the director of business and community engagement.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Bachelor
Political Science
Arizona State University
Political Science
Arizona State University
Career
Director of Business and Community Engagement
I work with community and organizations to bolster the higher education rate in Indiana.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Education
Government
Helping People
Day to Day
Every day is a little bit different in my role. I'll primarily be out talking to people to see how we can collaborate and address the issues that our organizations are working towards. Our goal is to get people to attend college or enroll in a post-secondary training or education program.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for middle school students
Follow your gut and don't be afraid to explore. If something looks really interesting to you, take the initiative to learn more about it. Bring a friend if you need more support! If you want to go into a similar field as mine, there are multiple paths you can take. I would say a liberal arts degree—which is what I have—is great since it is so versatile and teaches you to critically think and analyze.
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"I can't ask for help. I need to figure this out on my own."
