Ariana Kretz

Ariana Kretz (she/her) is a Junior studying History with double minors in Public Policy and Conservation and Resource Studies at UC Berkeley. As an LGBTQ+ and disabled individual, government has had a deeply personal impact on her throughout her life. Growing up, Ariana's public school and broader community lacked the resources to make her feel properly supported and empowered in her identity. She hopes that by pursuing public service, she can create systems that better uplift those of marginalized identities.

Since the Fall of 2020, Ariana has been involved in social-justice advocacy to advance these goals. On campus, she has pushed forward this work through her involvement with the Student Advocate's Office, where she provides caseworker and policy advocacy to students to improve their access to campus resources. Ariana is also currently one of the Wellness Coordinators of the Wellness Fee Advisory Committee, where she supports Berkeley student wellness through mental health related programming. Previously, Ariana was involved in the Berkeley Political Review and the Berkeley Center for Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law, where she researched and wrote about social justice issues in the United States and internationally. Off campus, Ariana spent two years crafting anti-racist, culturally responsive curriculum for K-12 classrooms with the non-profit, Diversify Our Narrative.

With the Schaeffer Fellowship Program, Ariana hopes to strengthen her skills in social justice oriented policy development and legislative advocacy through an internship in Congress. In particular, she is interested in further exploring environmental justice issues, especially shifting to renewable energy, circular based economies.