Matsui Lecturer

Every year the Matsui Center invites a distinguished former Member of Congress to the Berkeley campus for the Matsui Lectureship (alternating between Republicans and Democrats). During their residency, the Matsui Lecturer meets with students, faculty and researchers, speaks to classes, participates in the intellectual life of the Matsui Center and the Cal campus, and is the featured speaker at a major public event on critical issues of the day.

Rachel Yang

Class of 2025
2025 William K. (Sandy) Muir, Jr. Leadership Award

Originally from Southern California, Rachel (Hyun Ji) Yang is a senior at UC Berkeley, majoring in Political Science. She is an early admit to Harvard Law School through the Junior Deferral Program, where she plans to continue her studies in education law and justice reform. At Berkeley, Rachel has dedicated herself to advancing educational equity through both direct service and policy work. As a College Corps Fellow, she spent over 450 hours mentoring special needs students excluded from traditional classrooms, deepening her commitment to dismantling the school-to-prison...