Schaeffer Fellowship

Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellows in Government Service

Daira Rivera

Class of 2024
2023 Democracy Camp in Berkeley Student Director
2023 Democracy Camp in Berkeley
2022 Schaeffer Fellowship
2022 Democracy Camp in Berkeley
Placement: Placement Location:

Daira grew up in Hayward California and her parents are from Nayarit Mexico. She is currently a senior attending UC Berkeley majoring in Political Science with a minor in public policy. Her career is geared towards being a civil rights attorney and one day working in public policy. Throughout her upbringing, she became aware of the systematic failures that affect low-income POC and wants to dedicate her career to aid the effort in changing them. She ultimately wants a career in public service that will fulfill her...

Anahi Ruvalcaba

2023 Schaeffer Fellowship

Anahi has alway been an advocate for others, in fact in her mothers home is a third grade report card with the additional comment which reads “Outspoken in areas of justice, Anahi’s an advocate for all who need a voice”. As the granddaughter of immigrants, system-impacted youth and former community college student, Anahi Ruvalcaba is dedicated and passionate about the issues of higher education affordability and accessibility and juvenile justice reform.
Anahi began advocating for students as an intern for her community college's Public Policy School (PPS). Lobbying for...

Jasel Steinmetz

Class of 2025
2024 Schaeffer Fellowship

As the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants, Jasel discovered her passion for social justice advocacy at a young age. The generational struggle of racial injustice experienced by her mother, grandmother, and family extended beyond her own story, echoing the immigrant experience worldwide. Driven by her passion to help her community, she engaged in voter outreach and canvassing to amplify Latine representation and catalyzed educational policy reform, through the piloting of Ethnic Studies and restorative justice training in her district. Ultimately, these experiences inspired her to...

Ricarda Suarez

Class of 2026
2025 Schaeffer Fellowship

Ricarda Suarez is a first-generation college student at UC Berkeley, pursuing a degree in Political Science with an emphasis on Chicanx Studies. Raised between Santa Rosa, California, and Guanajuato, Mexico, her lived experiences inspire her dedication to advocating for social equity, labor rights, and economic justice. In the summer of 2024, Ricarda participated in the Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project Comcast Fellowship, interning in Assembly Member Mike Gipson’s office.

Her professional experience extends to supporting immigrant...

Robson Swift

Class of 2022
2022 Democracy Camp in Berkeley
2022 Schaeffer Fellowship
Placement: Bay Area Air Quality Management District Placement Location: San Francisco, California

Robson is a rising senior double majoring in Sociology and Political Science. He wants to either become a lawyer or work in government, but in any career path Robson hopes to participate in public service and improve the community around him. Robson' s passion for public service began in high school when he ran anti-LGBT bullying workshops at his high school. That experience lead him to advocate for student voice in his district...

Jennifer Tien Tran

Class of 2026
2024 Schaeffer Fellowship

Jennifer Tran (she/her) is a rising junior at UC Berkeley, studying education sciences and political science. As a first-generation student coming from a low-income, majority-minority community, Tran is passionate about rectifying the inequities of the education system. Her experiences in education inform all areas of her work–past, present, and future. In high school, Tran served as the Student Board Member for the Garden Grove Unified School District during the 2021-2022 school year, representing more than 40,000 students in Orange County, California, after creating the position in...

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...

Brianna Vasquez

Class of 2027
2026 Schaeffer Fellowship

Brianna Vasquez (she/her)

Brianna Vasquez is a proud Mexican-Peruvian American from Rancho Cucamonga, CA, studying Legal Studies and English at UC Berkeley. Growing up in a bicultural household shaped her understanding of the challenges and strengths that come with navigating multiple identities. Her family's immigrant experience instilled in her a deep appreciation for resilience, hard work, and the power of community.

Her dual focus on Legal Studies and English reflects her belief that language and law are both powerful tools for advocacy and change. Her passion for...

Mia Verdin

Class of 2027
2026 Democracy Camp Student Director
2026 Matsui Center Student Director
2026 Schaeffer Fellowship
2026 Democracy Camp in DC
2025 Democracy Camp in DC

Mia Alexa Verdin (she/they)

Mia Verdin is a third year undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, studying Urban Studies and Ethnic Studies. She was born and raised in the city of Santa Ana, California to immigrant parents from Mexico. As the first in her family to attend university, she is a proud first-generation student. She is passionate about exploring equity in housing, public transportation and education. In addition, she has led initiatives that promote civic engagement and education within her community; especially among other young people...

Lara Zangana

Class of 2026
2026 Schaeffer Fellowship
2025 Cal-in-Sacramento
2025 Diversity & Entrepreneurship Fellow
2024 Democracy Camp in Berkeley

Lara Zangana is a first-generation undergraduate at UC Berkeley, double majoring in Society and Environment and Conservation and Resource Studies. As a Climate and Youth Engagement Fellow with UC Berkeley’s Student Environmental Resource Center, Lara contributed over four hundred hours of public service focused on immigration, housing, and environmental justice. In fall 2024, she also interned at the White House within the Biden Harris Administration’s Office of Science and Technology Policy.

This past summer, Lara served as an undergraduate researcher and Cal-in-Sacramento Fellow...