Jaime DiLauro
Evaluation and Impact Analyst, College Advising Corps
Jaime DiLauro ’20 grew up in rural Halifax County in eastern North Carolina, where approximately 14 percent of residents hold a bachelor’s degree — less than half the national average.
DiLauro was determined to join the 14 percent and be the first in her family to go to college. She came to UNC-Chapel Hill and graduated in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in public policy and women’s and gender studies and a minor in social and economic justice. That, however, did not mark the end of DiLauro’s academic endeavors.
Following graduation, DiLauro became an e-advisor with College Advising Corps (CAC), serving and advising more than 200 students across the country. It was through her work with CAC that Jaime realized her passion for public service and the nonprofit sector, steering her toward the UNC MPA program.
DiLauro was admitted to UNC MPA in 2018 and was offered a Hayman-Howard-Wright Scholarship, an endowment which has supported nearly 100 students since the ’99-’00 academic year. Thanks to financial support received from this scholarship and a graduate assistantship with the School of Government Advancement Office, DiLauro’s first year tuition burden was lessened by nearly two-thirds. She served as a research assistant for faculty member Maureen Berner, covering tuition in her second year, and graduated in 2020.
DiLauro has since rejoined CAC full-time and now serves as the organization’s evaluation and impact analyst. She utilizes skills she learned in the MPA program, including data collection and analysis, data visualization, survey design and administration, professional development for advisers, and grant reporting.
“I am so grateful to the alumni and friends of the program who made my scholarship possible,” DiLauro said. “Without it, I might not have been able to attend the program, increase my efficacy in the nonprofit sphere, and be fortunate to be back with the CAC.”
