2025 LBJ DC Fellow
Omar Gamboa is a candidate for the Master of Public Affairs (DC Concentration) at the LBJ School. He majored in English and Latin American Literature at The University of Texas and is a recipient of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.
Prior to graduate school, Gamboa worked as an educator. He served two years as a literacy tutor for AmeriCorps Literacy First, as an ESL instructor for Workers Defense Project, and as a bilingual elementary school teacher for the Austin ISD. His experience leading his grade-level team and the school’s PTA encouraged his interest in improving the work environment for US public schools.
Gamboa is interested in K-12 education policy, particularly the cultural shifts required to prioritize public education. He is focused on efforts to elevate the teaching profession and on producing more equitable outcomes for all students.
At LBJ, Gamboa is connecting his quantitative coursework with an elective in the Educational Leadership and Policy Department of the College of Education. In the spring semester, he is serving as a legislative aide in the Texas House of Representatives.
Gamboa hopes to find a Policy Apprenticeship in DC within Congress, a public policy research institute, or an education-based advocacy organization.
Policy Interests: Public perception of public schools, special education reform, higher education, tax policy