Honors alumna Dominique Sanchez (’20), the Director of Health and Human Services Policy for Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, relies on the advocacy and leadership skills she developed in the Honors Program.
"My education and experiences sharpened my critical thinking skills and bolstered my confidence in my own leadership capabilities," she said.
Dominique promotes the Governor's priorities, such as access to health care, child welfare, and mental health and wellbeing. This year, she has focused on protecting public assistance programs.
During her undergraduate studies at UMKC, Dominique participated in the Bluford Healthcare Leadership Institute in Kansas City and represented 76,000 students in the University of Missouri system as a policy advocate and intern to the state legislature from January 2019 to May 2019. Securing a public policy internship for Polsinelli PC, she spent the summer of 2019 in Washington, DC, and assisted with lobbying on behalf of more than 20 healthcare organizations. Dominique earned bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and psychology at UMKC in May 2020.
After she graduated, she worked as an AmeriCorps Vista Member assigned to the Hispanic Economic Development Corporation in Kansas City. In August 2021, Dominique joined Governor Kelly’s administration as a special assistant. She has served as Director for the last six months.
In the future, Dominique hopes to lead a healthcare organization focusing on health and health equity.