{"id":52552,"date":"2026-07-23T10:32:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T15:32:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/?p=52552"},"modified":"2026-07-23T10:32:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T15:32:24","slug":"acc-honors-students-represent-community-colleges-at-prestigious-public-service-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/2026\/07\/23\/acc-honors-students-represent-community-colleges-at-prestigious-public-service-weekend\/","title":{"rendered":"ACC Honors Students Represent Community Colleges at Prestigious Public Service Weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Six Austin Community College District (ACC) Honors Program<\/a> students were selected to attend the 2026 Public Policy and International Affairs Program (PPIA) Public Service Weekend<\/a> at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program, held July 9\u201312, introduces students to graduate education and careers in public service through workshops, networking, and leadership development. This year’s ACC participants\u2014Ameris R., Duncan D., Andrew C., Luz (Gigi) G., Gabriel M., and Sofia R.\u2014were the only community college students in attendance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opportunity is available exclusively to ACC Honors Program students and reflects the program’s commitment to preparing students for leadership opportunities beyond the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honors Ambassador Ameris shares more about her experience and what she gained from the conference below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When I first enrolled at Austin Community College in the fall of 2024, I never imagined that I would be spending a weekend at the University of Texas at Austin for the LBJ Public Service Leadership Weekend, but here we are! My name is Ameris Ramirez; I am a 24-year-old nontraditional student who took a four-year gap before returning to school. I’m a Social Work major entering my third year at ACC, and I expect to graduate in the spring of 2027 before transferring to pursue my bachelor’s degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I first applied for the public service weekend, I felt confident in my application essay, but of course there was still that voice of doubt. The voice said, Why would they want to<\/em> pick me, a nontraditional student, to attend an event with a bunch of really cool, smart,<\/em> traditional students?<\/em> I think everyone has that voice of doubt, and if your story is similar to mine, you probably know it a bit too well. I want you to know it’s normal. It’s okay to hear it, but you should never listen to it. The point I want to drive home is that I am not a special story. I am simply someone who, despite that doubt, chose to believe in herself anyway. You are capable of so much more than you think! When I received the email saying I had been selected, I was honestly overwhelmed with excitement. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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I applied for the program because I wanted to better understand public policy. As someone pursuing social work, this is foundational knowledge to have. I wanted to understand how those systems are built, who has a seat at the table when decisions are made, and how I could get my own. One of the most meaningful moments of the weekend came from something the program organizer, Chris Cutkelvin, said to me directly: “Social workers pick up the pieces where bad policymakers fail.” That sentence completely changed the way I think about my future and how I approached my weekend. The public service weekend showed me the importance of looking at and challenging the systems that shape all of our realities. It reminded me that we should be proactive instead of reactive and never stop pursuing knowledge because one person cannot have all the answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Ryan Sutton a professor at LBJ, whose work focuses on the intersection of mental health and public policy. He is the first person I’ve met who has a career closely related to what I would love to do. Being able to ask questions and receive advice from someone already working in a field I admire was invaluable. Sometimes the most important part of an opportunity isn’t just attending the event; it’s having the courage to introduce yourself and start a conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the program, we heard from the Dean of the LBJ School, professors, policymakers, elected Texas officials, military leaders, attorneys, and LBJ alumni, each offering a unique and personal perspective on public service. Every session challenged me to think critically about complex issues facing Texas, the American South, and our Nation\u2014from mental health and border policy to leadership and bipartisan decision-making. I also loved the conversations I had with the other students. Every conversation left me with a new perspective and a greater appreciation for the work that goes into creating meaningful policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the highlights of the weekend was working alongside other students to develop a policy proposal. My group’s goal was to modernize the transportation system. We decided to modernize infrastructure by incorporating recycled plastic into asphalt to create more sustainable and cost-effective roads. We also participated in a policy simulation where each team represented different stakeholders deciding whether to bring a data center to a small community during a drought. Groups represented the water board, city council, mayor’s office, and even the media, whose job was to create attention-grabbing headlines that sometimes misrepresented what was happening. Having to roleplay, negotiate, collaborate, defend our recommendations, and compromise made the experience feel real. My group even managed to convince the other stakeholders to approve the data center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ACC has consistently encouraged me to pursue opportunities beyond the classroom. That is what I love about our community. We lift each other and create opportunities for one another to be heard. Since returning home, I have continued applying for fellowships and expanding my network because this experience reminded me that growth happens when we say yes to opportunities that intimidate or challenge us. I encourage every ACC student to apply for opportunities like the Public Service Leadership Weekend, whether you’re interested in public policy or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, this experience helped me realize that meaningful change begins long before people need help. It begins with the policies we choose to create and the people willing to advocate for them. More than anything, the Public Service Leadership Weekend gave me confidence, a community of like-minded people, and a clearer vision for my future. If there’s one thing I hope you take away from my experience, it’s this: opportunities don’t wait until you feel ready; apply anyway. Introduce yourself anyway. Ask the question anyway. The worst thing that can happen is someone says no, but the best thing that can happen might change your life or what you thought to be possible. Go Riverbats!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For more information and to join the honors program, visit austincc.edu\/honors<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Six Austin Community College District (ACC) Honors Program students were selected to attend the 2026 Public Policy and International Affairs Program (PPIA) Public Service Weekend at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. The program, held July 9\u201312, introduces students to graduate education and careers in public service through […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":103,"featured_media":52553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[460,1607,1608,362],"class_list":["post-52552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-stories","tag-honors-program","tag-lbj-school","tag-public-policy-and-international-affairs-program","tag-university-of-texas-at-austin","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/103"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52552"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52554,"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52552\/revisions\/52554"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.austincc.edu\/infohub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}