Isaac Carreno

Rising Senior and Student Body President, North Carolina State University

Backstory

By Sue Coyle

As Isaac Carreno prepares to begin his senior year of college at North Carolina State University, he knows one thing for sure: “I want to do public service as a career. I want to give back to my community,’’ he says. “[I want] to serve communities rather than tear them down, and be the voice for change at some point in the future.’’

Based on what he has accomplished as an undergraduate, it seems likely his goals will soon be a reality. Carreno is double majoring in political science and social work. While the two majors seem to perfectly complement each other now, it was not a combination he initially had planned.

“I’ve always been interested in political science. I knew I wanted to enter politics and government,” he says. “I loved my coursework, but I noticed that I was missing an emphasis on people and service and really understanding policy as it impacts the human experience.”

Social work was recommended to him, and it “really proved to be the perfect combination of majors and academic experience,” he says.

Carreno also has found work experience through two completed internships and one upcoming. The first was as an intern for U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross, a Democrat who serves North Carolina’s 2nd District. Carreno worked in her Raleigh office, where he focused on constituent casework. Following that, Carreno spent a summer as a White House intern in the Office of Presidential Correspondence. “The American people would write to President Biden,” he said. “We would read that correspondence and pass it on to the federal liaisons.”

This summer, Carreno is again in Washington, D.C., interning with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. He will be placed in U.S. Rep. Pete Aguilar’s office. Aguilar is a Democrat who represents California’s 33rd Congressional District.

When Carreno returns to campus in the fall, he will begin his senior year as the university’s student body president. He served as vice president in his junior year. “It’s another avenue where I’ve enjoyed being able to advocate for my fellow peers and be their voice when they aren’t always heard,” he says. “The crux of the work, at least for me, is advancing tangible change that the student body can really see and feel.”

Carreno says he has not yet decided what he will do after he graduates, but at the forefront of his career—no matter what path it takes—will be people, policy and practice.