2022 Spring
2022 Spring
Major:
Social Welfare
Devyn Lopez is a third-year student at UC Berkeley. She is pursuing a major in Social Welfare and a Spanish minor. Devyn was raised in the Bay Area most of her life and discovered how crucial it is to give back to her community when she...
2022 Spring
Major:
Political Science and Public Policy and Education
Placement:
Rep. Adam Schiff - Burbank District Office
Mentors:
Colleen Oinuma
Rosie Echeverria was born and raised in East Hollywood, Los Angeles in a Central American immigrant household and she is a first-generation, low-income, EOP, DSP, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ student at UC Berkeley. She went to Santa Monica College...
2021 Fall
Placement:
USAID’s Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs
Naz Balkam is a first-generation Ethiopian-American studying Political Science at UC Berkeley. As a life-long Oakland resident and the daughter of two working-class Ethiopian immigrants, she has seen the ways in which the government has...
Placement:
Political Violence Lab
Phoebe Pham is an Indo-Chinese-Vietnamese-Japanese American studying Political Science and Legal Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Growing up overseas on a military base, Phoebe was constantly surrounded by a community...
Placement:
International Law Institute
As a 23-year-old UC Berkeley senior, Daniela Rodas sees herself as a person who strives to be her best in every area of life. Be it as a former student government representative at the Santa Rosa Junior College, as an AmeriCorps health and...
Placement:
Georgetown Law Criminal Justice Clinic
Lakhvir Singh is a student at University of California, Berkeley majoring in Political Science. I am currently in the US Army and a first-generation college student. I was born in Punjab, India, and immigrated to the United States of...
2021 Spring
Placement:
American Bar Association
Marcus W. Albino is an Italian-American, first-generation student and international award-winning filmmaker majoring in Political Science with a minor in Public Policy. Growing up with housing insecurity in a low-income district, Marcus is...
Placement:
Perseus Strategies
Mustafa Barraj is a student at the University of California, Berkeley studying political science and English. He is from Bakersfield, California, and transferred to Berkeley in 2019 after receiving the Regents’ and Chancellor’s Scholarship...
Placement:
National Immigration Forum
My name is Yara Chaves Andrade. I am a DACA recipient and a first-generation student. My major is English at the University of California, Berkeley. My main interest is fighting for human rights thus being the reason why my future career...
Placement:
EEOC under Chief Judge Emily MacMillian
Socorro Galindo-Hernandez is a first-generation college student at UC Berkeley, majoring in Legal Studies. Before coming to UC Berkeley, I was interested in public service because I understood the need of helping communities flourish and...
Placement:
Political Violence Lab
Zainab Khan is a first-generation transfer student at the University of California, Berkeley studying political science and psychology. She was born in Pakistan, raised in Texas, and is now lives in California for college. She is...
2020 Fall
Major:
Political Science; Minor: Public Policy
Placement:
USAID Bureau of Africa
Danayt Abraham is a first-generation Eritrean American at UC Berkeley, majoring in Political Science and minoring in public policy. Her main interests lie between the intersection of international development policy, foreign relations, and...
2020 Spring
Major:
Political Science
Placement:
National League of Cities
Maxwell Bessard is a student at the University of California, Berkeley studying political science. Although he was born and raised in Fresno, California, he has generational ties to the Bay Area. While serving on the student executive...
Placement:
National Center for Health Research
Shaina is a graduating senior at the University of California, Berkeley from Kansas City studying Public Health. While at Berkeley, she has dedicated her time to helping children through volunteering, public service, nonprofit...
Placement:
USAID's Bureau for Africa
Courtney is a graduating senior originally from Colfax, CA double majoring in Sociology and Society and Environment with a concentration in Global Policy. While studying abroad at the University of Ghana, she was inspired by the country’s...
Major:
Political Science and Media Studies
Placement:
Congressional Intern with Congressman Ami Bera (D-CA-7) at the U.S. House of Representatives
Queenie Lam is a first-generation college student at UC Berkeley, double-majoring in Political Science and Media Studies. Her main interests lie between the intersection of politics, public policy, and marketing in how it affects the...
2019 Fall
Placement:
Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia
Sadushi De Silva is a first generation college student from Los Angeles majoring in Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley. Her passion lies in advocating with system-impacted marginalized communities. Her previous experience includes asylum...
Placement:
National Collections, Smithsonian Institution
Cheyenne Laux is a graduating senior at UC Berkeley majoring in Anthropology. As a junior, she transferred to Berkeley from Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz. Cheyenne's main interests within anthropology are archaeology and museum studies,...
Placement:
U.S. Department of State
Katrina is a fourth-year transfer student at the University of California, Berkeley studying Global Studies with a concentration in Peace and Conflict. While at Berkeley, she served as an open source investigator at...
2019 Spring
Major:
International Development Studies and Latin American Literatures
Placement:
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Celene Bolaños is a first-generation college student at UC Berkeley, double-majoring in International Development Studies and Latin American Literatures. She is currently working on her thesis about Haitian mobility across the Americas as...
Major:
Political Science
Placement:
Spiros Consulting
Charlie Lea is a student at the University of California Berkeley majoring in Political Science and minoring in Public Policy. He hopes to work on campaigns, in public officials’ offices, and in private firms that shape public policy. Last...
Major:
Media Studies
Placement:
CBS News
Saba is a graduating senior at UC Berkeley studying Media Studies with an emphasis in Food Policy and Communications. She is interested in entering the media or entertainment industry where she hopes to create meaningful content that...
Major:
Political Economy
Placement:
United States Trade Representative (USTR)
I am a first-generation Latino student from Los Angeles studying Political Economy at UC Berkeley. I am interested in international development and economic inequality so Washington D.C. is the perfect place to be, considering the...
2018 Fall
Major:
Political Science
Gissela Moya is a first generation undocumented student from Honduras. She attended Chaffey College before transferring to UC Berkeley where she studies political science. She is currently a legal advocate at E4FC where she provides...
Major:
Public Health and Social Welfare
My name is Edgar Rodriguez. I am graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in Public Health and Social Welfare. As a queer Latinx, I am interested in the health of my community, specifically how HIV impacts the mental health of individuals...
2018 Spring
Major:
Political Science
Placement:
DCCC and Amnesty International
Lily is a third-year Political Science major and Public Policy minor. She grew up in San Diego and has worked on campaigns in the United States, most notably Hillary for America, as well as refugee work abroad. Lily is passionate about...
Major:
Political Science
Placement:
University of California Federal Governmental Relations
Rozette De Castro is a graduating senior at UC Berkeley, pursuing a major in Political Science. She is a first generation immigrant and college student. She was born and raised in Bacolod, Philippines but for the past 6 years has...
Major:
Public Policy
Placement:
Keith Watters and Associates
I am currently a third-year majoring in Sociology, with a minor in Public Policy. I am extremely excited to announce that I have been hired as a legal intern at Keith Watters and Associates, a small law firm in Washington DC for the Spring...
2017 Spring
Major:
Political Science
Placement:
Hoover Institution
Anya Ku is a graduating senior at UC Berkeley. She is majoring in Political Science and will be continuing onto law school to study public interest law after she graduates. Anya is interning at the renowned Hoover Institution in Washington...
Major:
Cognitive Science
Placement:
Department of State
Julie No is a graduating senior at UC Berkeley majoring in Cognitive Science. She was born and raised in Orange County, Southern California. Julie’s time at UC Berkeley allowed her to cultivate a passion to alleviate socioeconomic...
2016 Fall
Major:
Political Science and Legal Studies
Placement:
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Independent Expenditure
Lydia is a fourth year pursuing a double major in political science and legal studies. She spent her first three years at Cal exploring the legal field, from her presidency in Law in Practice to working as a JusticeCorps member at the...
Major:
Political Science and Legal Studies
Placement:
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Deena is a third-year student studying Political Science and Legal Studies. She is particularly interested in researching financial regulation and corporations' behavior on Wall Street. She is thrilled to be interning for the U.S....
2016 Spring
Major:
Political Science
Placement:
Brookings Institution's Center for Effective Public Management
Gurchit is in his Senior year studying Political Science. After spending the Summer of 2015 working in India and Fall studying abroad in Paris, Gurchit is looking forward to drawing from his experiences abroad to comparatively research...
Major:
American Studies, emphasis on Politics, Policy, and Justice
Placement:
Department of Education
Elizabeth Householder is a 4th-year transfer student at Cal majoring in American Studies with emphasis on Politics, Policy, and Justice. She has just finished up her senior thesis in the American Studies department on the Hyphy Movement as...
2015 Fall
Major:
Comparative Literature; Ethnic Studies
Placement:
Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Ozichi Emeziem is a 3rd year at Cal majoring in Comparative Literature with a minor in Ethnic Studies. She was born and raised in the Bay Area and is grateful for the opportunity to venture out of her comfort zone. Hence, she is incredibly...
Major:
History; Public Policy
Placement:
The Wilson Center
Lucy Song is a third-year history major and public policy minor. She is particularly interested in East Asian history, diplomacy, and the workings of supranational organizations that facilitate more effective international cooperation....
2015 Spring
Major:
Political Science; History
Placement:
Wilson Center
Mengyu Dong is a 4th-year Cal student double majoring in Political Science and History. She is excited at the opportunity to spend a semester in Washington, D.C., and hopes to open her mind to different views on topics that she has already...
2015 Spring
Major:
Political Science with a minor in Public Policy
Placement:
American Enterprise Institute
Brandon Wong is a senior at Cal studying political science and public policy. He has previously worked as a public policy analyst for Orange County's 4th District Supervisor Shawn Nelson and a legal intern for the Orange County District...
2014 Fall
Major:
Sociology; Public Policy
Placement:
White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islanders
My name is Felippa Amanta, a third year Berkeley student majoring in Sociology with a minor in Public Policy. I’m really excited for my fall internship in Washington, DC, where I hope to intern at the Department of Education. It really...
Major:
Economics and Legal Studies
Placement:
President’s Council of Economic Advisors
My name is David Mkrtchian and I am a third year student double majoring in Economics and Legal Studies. I am extremely interested in pursuing an economic policy internship this coming fall. In particular, I am interested in the economics...
2014 Spring
Major:
Anthropology and Media Studies
Placement:
United Nations Information Centre
"The hopeful idealism of passionate youth, the sense of duty of a devoted citizen, and the unquenchable curiosity of a UC Berkeley academic inspired me to experience the endless possibilities of our nation’s capital through the UCDC...
Major:
Economics and Media Studies
Placement:
World Bank-Finance and Private Sector Research Group
"My name is Yixi Zhao, a third year Berkeley student double majoring in Economics and Media Studies. Since I have previously interned in the China Development Bank and focused on policy development, I'm really excited about my spring...
2013 Fall
Major:
Political Science
Placement:
Penn Hill Group
"I am very excited to intern for Penn Hill Group this fall semester. The bipartisan government relations firm specializes in education policy and youth issues. Among their many services is strategic consulting on policy and legislative...
Major:
Political Science and South Asian Studies
Placement:
Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC)
"My name is Tara Yarlagadda, and I am honored to be a recipient of the Fall 2013 Matsui Fellowship. I would like to give special thanks to the Matsui Center for its vital work to create a more democratically engaged nation and empower...
2013 Spring
Major:
Peace and Conflict Studies and History
Placement:
OtherWords with the Institute for Policy Studies
"I want to start off by thanking the Matsui Center for making my UCDC experience possible. The semester I spent in Washington, D.C. was unforgettable; I went to President Obama’s second inauguration, was privileged to hear two...
Major:
History
Placement:
National Archives, Boeing Student Learning Center
"Since I started Cal and decided to major in history I knew I wanted to spend my last semester in Washington D.C. Thanks to the generous support of the Matsui Center, which has been an invaluable part of my undergraduate experience, I was...
2012 Fall
Major:
Political Science and Ethnic Studies
Placement:
Washington Office on Latin America
"I applied to the UCDC program because I wanted to experience life in D.C. from the historical monuments to the daily grind of businesses, politics, and non-profits. D.C. is a central locus for young professionals seeking the excitement of...
Major:
Economics and Rhetoric
Placement:
EMILY's List's Major Gift Department
"I applied to UCDC program out of curiosity about what American politics is like in DC. After living in DC for a semester, I had a mouthful taste of political campaigns, intellectual seminars covering broad topics, and Smithsonian...
2012 Spring
Major:
Political Science
Placement:
International Affairs and Trade Team at the Government Accountability Office
"I had the privilege of participating in the UC in Washington, D.C. Program (UCDC) thanks to the generous support of the Matsui Center. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my undergraduate education. While in D.C., I interned...
Major:
Political Economics and African American Studies; minor in Disability Studies
Placement:
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
"Things at DREDF are going well. Though DREDF is focused on domestic policy, my true interests lie in our international disability rights agenda. I am the only other staff member for DREDF in DC, so all my work is meaningful and my days...
2011 Fall
Major:
Sociology
Placement:
Institute for Policy Studies
"My participation in the UCDC program was the highlight of my undergraduate experience at Cal. I was able to see the Sociology and Public Policy research I had learned in my first three years of coursework put into practice. As an intern...
Major:
Political Science and Rhetoric
Placement:
U.S. Department of State at the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.
"A friend of mine recently ascertained the quote, 'Never succumb to the myth of limits.'"This semester, while interning at the State Department for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), I all at once recognized the...
2011 Spring
Major:
Political Economy
Placement:
Peace Corps
"I loved my internship at the Peace Corps Headquarters, where I wrote and edited over 100 departing Peace Corps Volunteers press releases that were sent to the local press to be printed. In addition, I examined daily press articles from...
Major:
Political Science
Placement:
Department of State in the Office of Environmental Policy, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
2010 Fall
Major:
Social welfare
Placement:
White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans
2010 Spring
2009 Fall
Major:
Political Science and American Studies
Placement:
Office of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)