Eva Polovina is a second-year at Berkeley majoring in Legal Studies. She eventually wishes to pursue law school. Her passion for immigration law developed from learning about the injustices of the immigration system and observing the sentiments driving the anti-immigration movement. In the future, Eva hopes to learn more about the different legal fields and American legal history.
I explore how immigration law and the political climate affect international students’ decision to attend university and stay in the country after graduation. The research is a...
I am a fourth-year student, originally from Forest Falls, California. I am a History major and Public Policy minor. The decision to pursue such coursework was fueled by my passion for the improvement of our Republic, something I have pursued via campaigning at the local, state, and national political levels. While this work has been illuminating, it has also convinced me that elected office is not for me. Instead, I hope to attend law school and begin a career in housing law in government or a non-profit organization. I am optimistic that my varied experiences...
Andrew Chen is a fourth-year student majoring in Political Science and Psychology and minoring in Data Science. He is passionate about studying the intersections between politics, psychology, data, and education. In particular, he is interested in researching the psychosocial factors that influence public opinion through laboratory and field experiments. He serves as the Lead Research Apprentice at UC Berkeley’s Social and Moral Judgment Lab, where he seeks to understand the forms and functions of everyday dehumanization and misperceptions. Among his many other roles on...
Anna is passionate about serving underserved communities through the lens of the law and legal system. As a Berkeley Peter E. Haas Public Service Leader, she worked for Bay Area JusticeCorps, where she helps self-represented litigants navigate the legal system by providing legal information under the supervision of attorneys. Now, with the Public Service Center’s support she works an as Undergraduate Intern at Marin County Public Defender’s Office. She also is a Student Researcher at the Human Rights Center Investigations Lab at Berkeley Law. Currently, Anna also works as a Law Clerk at a...
Helia is a third-year majoring in Political Science and minoring in Politics, Philosophy, and Law. She is passionate about examining American politics, particularly Congress, in an effort to understand how the system operates and how it can be reformed to better serve the needs of the mass public. Other than research, she cares deeply about helping underrepresented communities using her interest in the law. At the ASUC Student Legal Clinic, Helia takes on any client with a legal issue, providing them with legal information to navigate their...
Abigail Francisco is a second-year double majoring in Political Science and Rhetoric. Her academic and professional interests center on constitutional law, religious liberty, and the intersection of religion and democratic governance. Growing up and continuing to be dedicated to the Christian faith, she gained an interest in how religion shapes voters, partisan politics, and public policy. She has interned with law firms and nonprofit organizations focused on church–state issues, as well as co-founded and currently presides over...
February 27, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm Please join us as we congratulate the 2026 recipients of the Charles H. Percy Undergraduate Grant for Public Affairs Research and the Mike Synar Graduate Research Fellowship.
The Charles H. Percy Undergraduate Grant for Public Affairs Research 2026 Recipients:
Sabrina Hemedez Avenido (Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies; Minor: Public Policy): “Utang na Loob: A Family Affair into Civic Engagement Education in Filipino American Families”
Karla Vicencio Ramirez (Sociology & Legal Studies): “What...
The Institute of Governmental Studies will award up to four research grants annually in the amount of $1,000 each to UC Berkeley undergraduate students who are conducting research on an aspect of American politics, including public opinion, electoral behavior, civic participation, government institutions, social movements, and public policy. Students from a broad range of disciplines are encouraged to apply.
This grant is made possible by a generous donation from the late...
