How do you take a desire to serve others, to be a change-maker, to have an impact on the issues you care about and transform that into a meaningful public service career? Now offered twice a year (Spring Break and mid-May) and in two locations (Berkeley and Washington, DC), Democracy Camp is designed for Cal...
2023 Democracy Camp Berkeley Fellow, 2023 Cal-in-Sacramento Fellow, 2022 Schaeffer Government Fellow, 2022 Matsui Washington Fellow
Class of 2023
Placement: Rep. Adam Schiff - Burbank District Office Mentor: 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 (SMC) for about two and a half years then transferred and moved to UC Berkeley in Fall 2020, toward the beginning of the covid pandemic. She is a Political Science major with a minor in Public Policy and Education.
Jiayu Fang is a senior majoring in Sociology. She was born in China and moved to the U.S. with her mother and younger sister in 2017, after which she assumed the role of family translator and learned to navigate a foreign system with a language barrier. Hoping to get involved with local communities, she started to do volunteer work and found her passion in public services. Due to the experience of herself and those around her, she is particularly interested in issues related to mental health, children’s rights, gender and sexuality, and immigration. Jiayu has been part of the Chief...
Katie DaQuino is a fourth year student studying Political Science, with minors in Public Policy and Interdisciplinary Human Rights Studies. She is the president of Cal Habitat for Humanity, a community service club that aims to give students opportunities to volunteer in the local community. The club is focused on affordable housing and during her time as president she has worked to expand the advocacy branch of the club. Katie is also an editor for the Undergraduate Public Policy Review Journal, where she published an article about housing policies in California.
2023 Cal-in-Sacramento Fellow, 2022 Democracy Camp Berkeley Fellow, 2022 Democracy Camp in DC Student Co-Director, & 2022 Matsui Washington Fellow
Class of 2023
Jennifer Ramirez is a first-generation Latina studying Economics and Public Policy at UC Berkeley from the Bay Area. Growing up in a mixed-status household, she experienced first-hand the hardships Latinx immigrant families faced, such as the struggle to assimilate, obtain basic needs, and become financially stable. The systematic barriers that limit the upward mobility of historically marginalized communities propelled her to become an advocate in her local community, and pursue a career in public service. After being selected to attend Harvard Kennedy...
Marisol Medina, a child of Mexican immigrants, is a first-generation college student. She is a second-year majoring in Political Science with a minor in Public Policy. She grew up in Inglewood, California, neighboring the city of Los Angeles, which inspired her to advocate for more equitable education opportunities in low-income areas as she saw how educational disparities impacted youth in her city. Inspired to bring change to her community, she spent her high school years heavily involved in civic engagement and social justice activism as an intern for the Invest In Youth Coalition...
Amelia is passionate about educational equity, women’s rights, and voting rights. She grew up in the public school system in a school district with some of the lowest-paid teachers in Los Angeles County. Many students came from low-income backgrounds and their families couldn’t spare the time or money to supplement the gaps the schools left in their education. Through a career in public service, she hopes to advocate for more funding for public schools while also addressing systemic issues that leave some students more vulnerable to educational barriers.