Cal-in-Sacramento

Jenny Rocha

Class of 2025
2025 Cal-in-Sacramento

Jenny Rocha is a first-generation student, majoring in Legal Studies and minoring in Food Systems. Born and raised in Santa Cruz, California, she is the eldest daughter of immigrants from Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico.

Growing up, she witnessed the hardships that her family and friends experienced due to their immigration status. In 2019, she started working with United We Dream, a youth led immigrant rights organization. Through this work, she discovered her passion for public service and gained an interest in immigration law. She is particularly interested in the intersections of...

Jennifer Rodriguez

Class of 2023
2023 Cal-in-Sacramento

Jennifer Rodriguez is a senior from a small agricultural town called Orange Cove in Fresno County. Jennifer grew up without a car in her rural community and dealt with hardships getting to grocery stores and appointments, especially during extreme heat in the Central Valley. Upon moving to Berkeley, she noticed the stark difference between public transportation in her community and in the Bay Area. After taking several classes that discussed city planning, she became interested in working in transportation planning to help increase accessibility...

Katherine Rodriguez

Class of 2024
2023 Cal-in-Sacramento
2023 Ken Burt Fellow

Lesly Silva Rosales

Class of 2028
2026 Democracy Camp Student Director
2026 Matsui Center Student Director
2026 Cal-in-Sacramento
2026 Democracy Camp in Berkeley
2025 Democracy Camp in Berkeley

Lesly Silva Rosales, is a first-generation Mexican-American student at UC Berkeley pursuing a major in Legal Studies. As a Regents’ and Chancellor’s Scholar, she is passionate about immigration law and public service, driven by her commitment to uplift immigrant and working-class communities like the one that raised her.

Growing up as the daughter of Mexican immigrants, she witnessed firsthand the barriers that limit access to justice and opportunity. These experiences inspired her to pursue a career in immigration law, where she hopes to advocate for equitable policy reform and...

Ayline Ruelas

Class of 2022
2022 Cal-in-Sacramento
2022 Diversity & Entrepreneurship Fellow
Placement: Placement Location: Sacramento, California

Ayline Ruelas is a 22-year-old first generation college student. She grew up watching both her parents having multiple jobs to make ends meet. It wasn’t until she decided to take advantage of her education at community college despite feeling uncertain and lost whether education was the right path for her. She realized a common denominator with first generation-low-income students like herself, not having the ability to succeed at the same rate as other students. In effort to challenge these...

Joy Ruppert

Class of 2027
2026 Democracy Camp in DC
2025 Cal-in-Sacramento

Joy Ruppert is a third-year student at the University of California, Berkeley, studying Political Science with a concentration in Political Theory. She also minors in Ethnic Studies and Politics, Philosophy, and Law.

As the daughter of two K–12 teachers, Joy developed an early interest in educational justice. She has since worked in the Federal Affairs Division at the California Department of Education, served as an Equity Ambassador for the County of San Diego, and co-developed staff training on cultural inclusion adopted by the San Diego...

Jasmine Sanchez

Class of 2025
2025 Cal-in-Sacramento

Jasmine Sanchez is a 4th year college student who was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Raised by a single mother and student parent who emphasized the value of education, Jasmine is extremely passionate about advocating for underrepresented communities, particularly in the areas of educational equity and immigrant rights.

Currently, Jasmine is studying Political Science and Public Policy at UC Berkeley. On campus, she serves as the Professional Development Director for the Latine Pre-Law Society, the Undocumented Committee Director at Unidad en Educación, a...

Merilyn Navarro Sánchez

Class of 2026
2026 Cal-in-Sacramento

Merilyn Navarro Sanchez is a first-generation Oaxacan student double-majoring in Sociology and Ethnic Studies. Being born and raised in the County of San Diego to a mixed-status single-parent household, Merilyn has firsthand experience with the struggles and injustices of obtaining basic needs, having financial stability, and educational barriers. From her lived experiences, Merilyn has used her hardships to learn what can be improved in the communities she comes from through leadership and advocacy.

At her community college, she took on the role of Vice President for The PUENTE...

Carlos Santana

Class of 2025
2025 Cal-in-Sacramento Student Director
2025 Cal-in-Sacramento
2024 Washington Fellowship - Fall
2024 Cal-in-Sacramento
2024 Ken Burt Fellow
Placement: White House Internship Program, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Placement Location: Washington, DC

Carlos is a first-generation Latinx student at UC Berkeley, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Chicanx Latinx Studies. Born and raised in the California Central Valley, he is the son and grandson of farmworkers. His paternal grandfather was in the temporary agricultural worker program known as the Bracero Program, and first came to the United States in 1952. His maternal grandparents immigrated to the United States in...

Genevieve Schweitzer

Class of 2025
2025 Cal-in-Sacramento
2025 Jo Freeman Women in Politics Fellow

Genevieve Schweitzer (She/Her)

Genevieve is a senior at UC Berkeley, majoring in American Studies with a concentration in gender, health, and the law. As a student in the dual degree program between UC Berkeley and Sciences Po Paris, her first two years of college were spent in Reims, France. She earned her first bachelor’s degree in Political Humanities, a blend of history, law, and political philosophy. While abroad, Genevieve became involved in transnational feminist activism. She advocated for menstrual equity with a...