Tristan Shaughnessy is a junior transfer studying political science. At community college, he wrote for the Diablo Valley College’s newspaper, The Inquirer. Watching county supervisors respond to a pandemic, he saw how the everyday decisions of elected and unelected officials impacted thousands of people. For him, this highlighted the importance of good governance and local politics, making him want to pursue a career in public service.
Tristan is currently working at Bay Area Legal Aid through the JusticeCorps program, assisting participants with court forms at Bay Legal’s housing and domestic violence clinics. He also is involved with student government at Cal, focusing on campus budget issues while sitting on different committees. At the moment, Tristan is most concerned about mass incarceration and effective government oversight, so he hopes to intern at an office over the summer that focuses on either of these issues.
Major(s): Political Science
Minor(s):