Cal-in-Sacramento

Riley Thompson

Class of 2024
2022 Cal-in-Sacramento
Placement: Placement Location: Sacramento, California

Riley Thompson (she/they) is an undergraduate at UC Berkeley studying Political Science, Rhetoric, and Public Policy. They are passionate about policy and legislation, which they were introduced to in high school through a program called Youth and Government (Y&G). Now, as a staff member for Y&G, they are particularly interested in issues related to youth and are committed to empowering youth voices. This passion has resulted in their participation in a research project focused on...

Justin Toshima

Class of 2025
2024 Cal-in-Sacramento

Arriving at UC Berkeley as a junior transfer student, Justin is a driven political science major focused on applying political theories of ethics towards developing just public policy. During his time at community college, Justin was an active member of multiple student government committees within the Associated Students of Pasadena City College. He applied his passion for political science towards creating a more inclusive student environment through assisting in the coordination of on-campus events, and modifying the college’s constitution and by-laws to better represent the needs...

Beck Tran

Class of 2024
2023 Cal-in-Sacramento Student Director
2022 Cal-in-Sacramento

Beck Tran is a second-generation Vietnamese Taiwanese American. They grew up with two immigrant parents, one of whom was a refugee from Vietnam, resulting in their early exposure to issues regarding immigration, language barriers, and racial discrimination. As an aspiring attorney who is studying Legal Studies and Asian American Studies in their undergraduate education, they are especially driven to improve issues regarding diverse representation in positions of power, social equity for ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities, and diversity in business.

They are the 2022
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Maissa Trujillo

Class of 2025
2024 Schaeffer Fellowship
2023 Cal-in-Sacramento

Maissa is a third year political science major, also minoring in political economy, at the University of California, Berkeley. She is a first-generation college student from San Bernardino, where her upbringing sparked her passion for public service and how policy can impact communities like hers. Maissa has had the privilege of participating in the Cal-In-Sacramento Fellowship, as well as interning with the Bay Area JusticeCorps program. These extracurriculars, along with others, have allowed her to explore her passions concerning criminal justice and immigration reform, breaking...

Phoebe Truong

Class of 2025
2024 Cal-in-Sacramento

Phoebe is a recent transfer in her third year at UC Berkeley, majoring in society and environment with a minor in public policy. She is interested in equity in higher education, sustainability through solutions such as walkable neighborhoods and public transportation, public service, and more! She became interested in public service at her community college, where she was a student trustee for the San Diego Community College district. She also had the opportunity to intern with Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, and learned a lot from this great experience. Phoebe is passionate about advocacy and...

Hugo Vallecillo

Class of 2025
2023 Cal-in-Sacramento

My name is Hugo Vallecillo, and I am exchange student for the academic year 2022-2023 at UC Berkeley who was born in Valladolid, Spain. I am a full-time student in Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain, where I am completing a Dual Degree in Political Science and Law.

Since I became aware of the problems surrounding my community, I have been really interested in learning about socioeconomic inequalities and the difficulties that the most vulnerable face when accessing the political system.

In the future, I would love to focus my career on academic
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Allyson Velez

Class of 2022
2022 John Gardner Fellowship
2022 Cali-in-Sacramento Student Director
2022 Cal-in-Sacramento
Placement: California Health & Human Services Agency Placement Location: Sacramento, California

Raised in an immigrant household in Southern California, Allyson is passionate about creating solutions to health care challenges marginalized communities face. At an early age, Allyson’s father was diagnosed with a chronic health condition that required frequent interactions with the health care system. Through this experience, she became acutely aware of the high cost of health care and its disproportionate impact on BIPOC and low-income families....

Jocelyn Villalobos

Class of 2022
2022 Cal-in-Sacramento
Placement: Placement Location: Sacramento, California

Jocelyn Villalobos is a first-generation senior majoring in Social Welfare and minoring in Education. Prior to transferring to UC Berkeley, Jocelyn was the Student Trustee of the Contra Costa Community College District and a student intern for the City of Pittsburg Digital Office for New Americans. She collaborated with the City’s Mayor and staff to create a website for the new program and fabricated a legal resource list for undocumented residents.

At Berkeley, she was
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Fiona Vogler

Class of 2023
2023 Cal-in-Sacramento

Fiona Vogler is a fourth year studying Geography, with a focus on economy, culture, and society, and Political Economy, with a concentration in development and globalization. Her upbringing in Oakland alongside a neurodivergent sibling who faced significant struggles in the public education system provided evidence of systemic neglect and violence towards minority populations. During the Spring 2022 semester, Fiona studied abroad in the Netherlands, whose infrastructure and social policy starkly contrasts that of the U.S. These experiences ultimately demonstrated the importance of...

Vivian Vu

Class of 2024
2023 Cal-in-Sacramento

Vivian Vu is a junior-level student hoping to receive her degree in economics at UC Berkeley. As the child of two Vietnamese immigrants, Vivian was born and raised in Orange County where she developed her interests in both public policy and economics. This was fostered through her education where she obtained her associates degree in both social and behavioral sciences and liberal arts at Irvine Valley College, in which she earned simultaneously with her diploma.

In addition, her passion for politics originate from witnessing the discrimination and the extra obstacles that her
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