Democracy Camp in Berkeley

Elena Hsieh (she/her)

Elena Hsieh is a third year from San Diego studying English and conservation & resource studies, with a minor in politics, philosophy, and law. Within these spheres of interest, she is most passionate about environmental litigation, animal welfare, and ecological literature. She is driven to pursue the legal field as a means to substantiate change for those from less privileged backgrounds, as she witnesses the disproportionate impacts of climate change across all life forms, especially people divided by wealth disparities....

Ella Jaravata is a third-year transfer student studying Political Science. From San Diego originally, she would like to pursue a public service career centered around advocating for environmental, labor and social justice policy. Her interest in politics was ignited in High School, creating a community garden and running a chapter of Sunrise Movement in her town. In the past two years, she was involved in local issues and advocacy through internships at the American Federation of Teachers labor union, UCSD Labor Center, and through running her community college environmental club....

Gurleen Kaur is a third-year undergraduate transfer student double majoring in Psychology and Legal Studies. Her passions include mental health, incarcerated youth, forensic psychology, and the systematic issues of the justice system.

I grew up in Malawi, where education—especially for girls—is often seen as a privilege. My guardians valued education deeply, and my grandmother, despite being restricted by patriarchal traditions, attained the highest level of education available to her. This shaped my view of education as both a powerful tool and a rare opportunity.

As a dyslexic student in a system that wasn’t designed to accommodate learning differences, I faced unique challenges. I developed my own learning methods, which taught me the importance of research, resilience, and learning from failure. These...