Matias Carrera
Curiosity | Discipline | Purpose
I’m interested in learning how institutions, incentives and public policy shape the decisions that affect people’s lives. I’m curious by nature, I continue to challenge myself and contribute with purpose through academics, athletics and civic engagement.
About Me
I’m a student-athlete at Notre Dame High School in Los Angeles with a growing interest in politics, economics, public policy, history and international affairs. What interests me most is not simply what happens, but why. Why institutions make certain decisions, why voters behave the way they do, and why some policies produce very different outcomes from what was intended.
That curiosity has taken me beyond my high-school classroom. At University of Oxford, I explored politics, economics and international relations. At Georgetown University NSLC, I had the opportunity to apply those interests through campaign and Senate simulations. Back at Notre Dame, I’ve intentionally built my senior-year curriculum around government, economics, history, psychology, philosophy and statistics.
Outside the classroom, lacrosse has been one of the most important parts of my life. Four years of varsity competition, leadership as a captain, a CIF finalist run with Notre Dame, a club championship and the opportunity to represent Mexico's Lacrosse National Team at the U19 level have taught me about preparation, accountability, resilience and trust.
I’m still figuring out exactly where these interests will take me, but I know I want to keep learning about how societies work and how thoughtful leadership can make them work better.
Academic Momentum
What matters most to me about this progression is not simply the GPA. As my classes became more demanding, I became a stronger and more intentional student. I learned that challenge brings out my best work and that the subjects I choose matter more when I understand why I’m choosing them.
A Senior Year Chosen on Purpose
I didn’t choose my senior-year courses simply to make my transcript harder. I wanted to build a curriculum around the subjects and questions I genuinely hope to pursue in college.
Experience
Student-Athlete Leader
Notre Dame High School
Westside Bears Lacrosse Club
Blue Knights Box Lacrosse
Mexico's Lacrosse National Team
4 Years Varsity
Team Captain
CIF Finalist
Club Champion
Mexico U19
Selected by the Mexico Lacrosse Association to train and compete with the U19 National Team, most recently representing Mexico at the Heritage Cup in New Jersey.
Playing for Mexico has connected competition with something more personal. It has given me the opportunity to represent my heritage while learning how quickly trust, communication and teamwork have to develop when players come together around a shared identity and goal.
Four years of varsity lacrosse have taught me how to compete, respond to setbacks and be accountable to a team. As a team captain, CIF finalist with Notre Dame, club championship winner and U19 Mexico National Team player, I’ve experienced both the excitement of winning and the disappointment of coming up short.
Those experiences taught me that leadership is less about being the loudest person on a team and more about preparation, consistency, trust and how you respond when things do not go your way.
Ideas in Action
I enjoy studying politics and public policy, but I also want opportunities to test those ideas through discussion, debate and collaboration.
Model UN has taught me how to research a position, defend it with evidence and negotiate with people who may see an issue differently. Through the YMCA Youth Delegation and UCLA Teen Advisory Council, I’ve been able to participate in conversations about civic responsibility, public service and issues affecting young people.
These experiences have helped me understand that good ideas are only part of leadership. Listening, communicating clearly and finding common ground matter just as much.
Model UN gives me the opportunity to practice something I find increasingly important: understanding a position I may not personally hold, defending it with evidence and finding enough common ground to move a group forward.
The UCLA Teen Advisory Council has given me the opportunity to listen to perspectives from other students, participate in discussions about issues affecting teenagers and contribute my own experiences to those conversations.
Through the YMCA Youth Delegation, I’ve explored civic responsibility, public service and what it means for young people to participate thoughtfully in their communities.
Helping Others Grow
Through Spanish tutoring and coaching younger lacrosse players, I’ve learned how much patience, encouragement and clear communication matter.
I enjoy seeing someone gain confidence in something that once felt difficult. Mentoring younger students and athletes has taught me that leadership can be as simple and as meaningful as helping someone else improve.
Being bilingual allows me to use language as a bridge across communities, cultures and perspectives. It helps me connect more naturally with people and understand experiences beyond my own.
How I Lead
Through athletics and civic programs, I’ve learned that leadership means being accountable, working with others, building consensus and serving something larger than myself.
OWN IT
I’ve learned that leadership starts with owning my preparation, my decisions and my mistakes especially when others are counting on me.
RESPOND
Competition has taught me to stay composed, learn from setbacks and help the people around me move forward.
BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER
Whether on a lacrosse field or in a policy discussion, I try to listen, build trust and work toward a shared goal.
I hope to study how government, economics and public policy shape communities, and how better decisions, stronger institutions and thoughtful leadership can create meaningful change.
I’m particularly interested in political science, political economy, international relations, law and public service. At the same time, I want college to challenge those interests rather than simply confirm them. I expect the questions I’m asking today to evolve as I learn more.
Future Aspirations
Where I want to GO
Mission Statement
-WHAT DRIVES ME-
I want to understand how the world works, how power operates, why institutions rise and fall, and what makes communities thrive or fracture. That pull toward politics, economics, history and international affairs isn’t purely academic for me. It’s personal.
I believe the decisions made in those arenas shape real lives, and I want to become someone capable of helping shape them for the better. My goal isn’t simply to achieve; it’s to contribute. Through academics, athletics, mentorship and service, I’m trying to build the curiosity, discipline and responsibility I believe leadership requires.
I don’t have everything figured out. But I know the kind of person I want to become: someone who lifts others as he grows, engages seriously with difficult questions and leads with both conviction and humility.
Academic Extracurricular
University of Oxford
Politics and Economics
I chose this course because I wanted to understand politics and economics together rather than as separate subjects. Studying political systems, economic incentives, trade and competing economic ideas helped me see how deeply policy decisions are shaped by both institutions and markets.
The course pushed me to look beyond whether a policy sounds good in theory and ask a harder question: how will people, governments and markets actually respond to it?
University of Oxford
International Relations
I wanted to understand why countries make the choices they do and how history, power and competing interests shape international relationships.
Through IR theory, simulations, seminar discussions and independent work, I learned to test arguments from different perspectives and connect abstract ideas to real events. My work on the Spanish Civil War was particularly meaningful because it showed me how historical conflict continues to shape political understanding long after the fighting ends.
National Student Leadership Conference at
Georgetown University
Political Action & Public Policy
I went to Georgetown because I wanted to move from studying political systems to experiencing how politics and policymaking work in practice.
Campaign and Senate simulations forced me to negotiate, persuade, respond to competing priorities and make decisions under pressure. I came away understanding that policymaking is not only about having the strongest argument it also requires listening, compromise and building enough common ground to move an idea forward.
Gallery
Explore a collection of moments that showcase my journey. From thrilling lacrosse and football games to cherished family gatherings, this gallery reflects my personal side.
