CJ Delgado

• Master's of Public Administration, University of Dayton
• B.A., Political Science, University of Dayton

My name is Camille Joy Delgado, but I’m better known as CJ. When I was two, my family and I immigrated from the Philippines and came to Dayton, which led me to the University of Dayton. During my undergraduate degree program, I had the amazing opportunity to balance both professional and personal growth. I was called to study political science because I wanted to know who are making the decisions that could and would affect my life and the life of my community. I enjoyed learning about the relationships that occur on a city level with local government and how that can translate into the bigger picture of the nation. I am fascinated by the role of public policy in everyday life, whether that be in educational, environmental or economic research.

During the spring semester of my junior year, I was sponsored by the Women’s and Gender Studies program to participate in a convention with other college students. My team and I had met with a UD political science and MPA graduate who was working as a legislative aide on Capitol Hill. We were able to express the challenges that the City of Dayton has been facing. Seeing someone who had the same educational background as me working in a state governmental role was very inspiring.

I am passionate about diversity and inclusion and understand that the University of Dayton is one of the only private schools in Ohio that emphasizes our pride with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, aligning with our Catholic, Marianist values. As a UD undergraduate, I was part of a peer education group called Diversity Peer Educators. One of our main focuses was to eliminate racial, class and gender biases that could affect our students as well as their future careers. I was able to connect with other students who had the same passion for understanding culture and traditions and embracing it to expand our knowledge as the UD community.

My minor in women’s and gender studies allowed me to incorporate a more empathetic approach toward my political science courses. Not only has WGS opened doors for me with networking, but it has allowed me to develop a strong sense of empathy and passion for equity in education, career trajectory and everyday life. 

• Diversity Peer Educators