Meiman Hock Scholar aspires to improve human rights for women worldwide
Issabella Romo (MPP’26) established her voice by mobilizing Latin American communities at the local and state level. At the McCourt School of Public Policy, she is leveling up her expertise to drive change on a global scale.
Meiman Hock Scholar Issabella Romo (MPP’26)
Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy proudly recognizes Issabella Romo (MPP’26) as the 2024-2025 Meiman Hock Scholar for her commitment to advancing human rights and equity through policy. Established by McCourt Advisory Board Member and alumnus Jim Hock (MPP’96) and Georgetown alumna Kellie Meiman Hock (F’91), the Meiman Hock Scholarship helps ensure that students from all backgrounds can pursue impactful careers in public service. The alums’ generosity reflects a deep belief in the power of education to shape a more just and equitable society and the importance of bringing people together with diverse perspectives to drive meaningful change.
Romo brings a strong foundation in public service and nonprofit leadership to McCourt. She holds dual degrees in legal studies and political economy and a minor in human rights from the University of California, Berkeley, where she led an original mixed-methods research study on Mexico’s femicide crisis for her honors thesis.
“My undergraduate research opened my eyes to how women are disproportionately denied human rights internationally,” said Romo. “It motivated me to develop a more nuanced understanding of how to combat gender-based violence through policy at the McCourt School. I am incredibly grateful to Jim Hock and Kellie Meiman Hock for their investment in my education and for supporting my ambitions to find innovative methods for human rights protection.”
Issabella Romo (MPP’26) (left) and Melody Gonzales (right), McCourt School alumna and former executive director of the White House Initiative for Hispanics at the U.S. Department of Education.
Before attending graduate school, Romo worked as a researcher at the UC Berkeley Human Rights Center and the Institute for International Studies. As programming coordinator at the Social Equity through Education Alliance, a student-founded, student-led intergenerational organization, she played a key role in securing $1 million in initial funding for the nonprofit’s organizing and policy efforts in Florida. She later gained firsthand experience in government and advocacy through internships with the City of Berkeley, the White House Initiative for Hispanics at the U.S. Department of Education and multiple local and state political campaigns.
Each of Romo’s previous roles in research, political organizing and community engagement provided insight into the policymaking process and its role in advancing social change. These experiences continue to fuel her dedication to strengthening human rights protections worldwide.
At the McCourt School, Romo joins a distinguished group of Meiman Hock Scholars with a shared commitment to equity and justice. The inaugural scholarship recipients, Juan Francisco Minetto (MPP-E’26) and Homar Maurás-Rodríguez (MIDP’25), are second-year students in the McCourt School’s Master of Public Policy evening program and the Master of International Development Policy program, respectively.
Issabella Romo (MPP’26) (far left) and fellow members of McCourt Policy in Practice on a client visit in Bogotá, Colombia.
Romo is refining her expertise in human rights policy, focusing on the intersection of international and domestic human rights protection mechanisms. She serves as co-chair of McCourt Policy in Practice , a pro-bono student consulting organization that partners with nonprofit organizations in Latin America, and is preparing for a career centered around improving the administration of human rights for women.
Learn more about the Meiman Hock Scholarship here. All incoming full-time and part-time students in any degree program are eligible and are automatically considered for this award upon application to the McCourt School.