The BA/MIA student shares how he balances school, a government internship and staying involved in the GPS community
An educational journey at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS) can be inspired by the most unexpected things — including a class dedicated to hip-hop.
That, at least, was the experience of Matthew Tillyer, who is in his final year of the Bachelor of Arts/Master of International Affairs (BA/MIA) concurrent degree program, offered by GPS in conjunction with the university’s International Studies Program.
Tillyer is a local, hailing from northern San Diego County. As part of a GPS class, he researched ways to improve the response to wildfires at the nearby Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and with professor Lauren Prather, he helped study the role of election monitors in democracies around the world.
GPS News talked with Tillyer about how he found his way to GPS, his experiences working with the county government in San Diego and what his day-to-day schedule looks like as he balances all of his different commitments.
How did you decide that you wanted to pursue the nonprofit management track as part of the MPP program?
Funnily enough, I actually took a class on hip-hop appreciation, and there was a book that we read in that class: it was about the music, but a good chunk of it was about the social organizations that were working with youth in the areas where hip-hop sprang up, especially in New York City and LA. As I read about the leaders of these nonprofits working in those areas, it got me thinking about the nonprofit sector in a way I hadn’t thought about it before. I really liked how this sector impacted people’s lives, which is really what I was trying to go for — figuring out where I can make the most impact.
I was talking with the teaching assistant in my international studies class about how I was interested in maybe pursuing something related to nonprofits, and it turns out he was a GPS student in the BA/MIA program, and he had his concentration in nonprofit management.
And you’re also interested in sustainable development, right?
I am really interested in the management side of nonprofits, figuring out how you make organizations deliver a public good or policy goal most efficiently. The policy I’m interested in is making communities more sustainable, particularly cities. And I’m also really interested in housing policy and transportation policy, which sprang from my experience volunteering and working with the homeless community in San Diego.
Then on the transportation side, where I’m someone that has mobility challenges: I use a manual wheelchair, and when I lost access to a car, I had to start relying on public transit. And in using transit, I started to ask myself, “Hm, why is this not better? What are the underlying policy reasons?”
“The behind-the-scenes of the political process has been really fascinating to learn from.”
What kind of work do you do at the San Diego County Board of Supervisors’ office?
Most of what I do is responding to constituents’ questions and concerns and operating the phones. I’ve also gotten to present proclamations at various events with the mayor a couple times, which has been cool. I’ve done a little bit of policy work here and there, and it has been really interesting to be in the office, getting to listen to the board meetings, talking with the policy advisers and hearing how they get things done. The behind-the-scenes of the political process has been really fascinating to learn from.
What does your day look like? How do you balance work with school?
A few days a week, I go to work in person in downtown San Diego. I take the trolley there from grad housing, which is very convenient. I already feel like I’m working full time with school! So I work part-time at the Board of Supervisors, and they’ve been really flexible about me starting in the spring and taking some time off over the summer.
What student groups are you involved in?
I am the vice president of finance for GO GPS, which is our student government. I allocate money in the budget for various items, such as funding for clubs and for large events like the Lunar Festival that just happened, our Spring Fling dance and our Latin American Student Organization Festival. We also do smaller events, like giving out bagels to first years before their first midterms.
We also run the mentor-mentee program, pairing second years with first years, and put on some events for them. And we do more routine stuff like making sure the student lounge is cleaned and stocked. We meet once a week, on Wednesdays, to go over everything.
“You should definitely join clubs, pursue opportunities, serve the student body. But do all that while taking care of yourself.”
What advice would you give to students thinking of attending GPS, or who will start here soon?
One of the things I did not have to do during undergrad (but now I very much have to do!) is, at the beginning of every quarter, make a sheet and lay out all of my due dates and responsibilities.
Speaking of which, I think it’s really important to be intentional about your commitments. You should definitely join clubs, pursue opportunities, serve the student body, all those things. They can help you make amazing connections. But do all that while taking care of yourself. That kind of responsibility delineation has been really important. It’s also been really important with my internship — saying, “Just to let you know, these are really the only hours I can work.”
What do you think is the most underrated part of GPS?
I’d say the Career and Professional Development Center. Some people don’t take advantage of that service, which I don’t understand! You’ve got these amazing people who are extremely resourceful and extremely well connected. A lot of times we’ll just throw ideas against the wall. I’ve gotten a lot of amazing opportunities through them, and they’re also great for getting advice.
