Having grown up in California, Karishma Goswami observed from a young age how climatic events like wildfires were having increasingly devastating impacts on her home state, the health of her community and the wellbeing of young and future generations. She was raised by strong, trailblazing women—including her mother, a female entrepreneur; her aunt, the first South Asian female judge in Southern California; and her grandmother, who defied norms to advocate for her daughter to immigrate alone to the U.S. in pursuit of higher education. Their strength inspired her to become...
Antonio Cáceres, a senior at UC Berkeley, is dedicated to tackling economic inequality through housing and education policy reform. Driven by a passion for meaningful and lasting change, he seeks to apply his academic and leadership experience to build more equitable systems that uplift marginalized communities.
Currently studying History with a minor in Public Policy, Antonio specializes in Latin American history and antiquity, with a particular interest in the intersections between historical events and contemporary policy challenges. His...
Community engagement has always been a passion of mine. There is a sense of altruism and belonging when collaborating with community members to promote collective impact. Coming from a lived experience with minimal resources (homelessness, food insecurity, poverty), I believe in the power of public involvement, investment, and empowerment. I am an Urban Planner with experience working for public agencies and capacity building for local organizations. Having worked for Alameda County and creating a nonprofit organization, I understand the limitations of funding.
As a Political Science major passionate about LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights, I entered my Gardner Fellowship with two main goals: to explore how I can make the most meaningful impact on the issues I care about, and to build a strong relationship with a mentor who could help guide me through that journey. I am currently placed at the ACLU’s National Political Advocacy Department in Washington D.C., where I work on reproductive freedom campaigns and policy. Four months into my fellowship, I am happy to report that my placement has afforded me ample opportunities to realize...
As an undergraduate, I was drawn to public health due to the breadth of topics that play a pivotal role in community health. When selected to be a John Gardner Fellow, I knew I wanted to pursue health policy and continue advocating for traditionally marginalized communities. I am currently serving my placement at the California Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS). My short time at CalHHS has reinforced the idea that in order to support community health, we must support a myriad of policy issue areas including affordable housing, criminal justice reform, immigrant...
