Matsui Center Cal-in-Sacramento Fellows

Beck Tran

Class of 2024
2023 Cal-in-Sacramento Student Director
2023 Cal-in-Sacramento

Beck Tran is a second-generation Vietnamese Taiwanese American. They grew up with two immigrant parents, one of whom was a refugee from Vietnam, resulting in their early exposure to issues regarding immigration, language barriers, and racial discrimination. As an aspiring attorney who is studying Legal Studies and Asian American Studies in their undergraduate education, they are especially driven to improve issues regarding diverse representation in positions of power, social equity for ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities, and diversity in business.

They are the 2022
...

Cal-in-Sacramento Fellowship

Cal-in-Sacramento is one of the University of California’s largest and most prestigious campus-based public service internship programs. For the past five decades, hundreds of Cal students have gone to Sacramento under our auspices to gain first-hand experience in the most dynamic state capital in the country. Many of these students have gone on to careers in politics, government, and public service.

Program Overview

Cal-in-Sacramento Fellows enroll in a 3-unit course (PS 110B) during the spring semester.

Fellows move to Sacramento in late...

How to Apply to Cal-in-Sacramento

Application

The 2024 Cal-in-Sacramento application is due by Sunday, October 8 at 11:59pm. The application includes:

Brief questionnaire Three ideas for your summer internship Research topic proposal Two essay questions (250 words each) Resume Unofficial transcript(s) from all higher education institutions Optional: Supplemental application for one of four Cal-in-Sacramento Research...

Cal-in-Sac Research Fellowships

Research Fellowships

Cal-in-Sacramento Fellowship applicants are invited to apply to one of the following Research Fellowships, which provide additional summer funding in the amount of $2,500 for Cal-in-Sac Fellows. Research Fellowship applications are included in the Cal-in-Sacramento application form.

Irene Kou

Class of 2026
2024 Cal-in-Sacramento Student Director
2023 Cal-in-Sacramento

Irene Kou is a rising sophomore intending to major in Legal Studies at UC Berkeley. Growing up as a first-generation, Asian American student living in a low-income community, she wants to further her understanding of the challenges she and others have faced first-hand. Through this past summer, she served as Co-StudentDirector for Cal-in-Sacramento and interned at the Federal Defender’s Office. She also researched the generational differences in Asian communities using Holistic versus...

Allyson Velez

Class of 2022
2022 John Gardner Fellowship
2022 Cali-in-Sacramento Student Director
2022 Cal-in-Sacramento
Placement: California Health & Human Services Agency Placement Location: Sacramento, California

Raised in an immigrant household in Southern California, Allyson is passionate about creating solutions to health care challenges marginalized communities face. At an early age, Allyson’s father was diagnosed with a chronic health condition that required frequent interactions with the health care system. Through this experience, she became acutely aware of the high cost of health care and its disproportionate impact on BIPOC and low-income families....

About the Program

Program Dates

During the spring semester, students receive academic instruction on topics related to California politics and policy, develop their original research proposal, and prepare for and apply to internships. During the summer, Fellows move to Sacramento to complete their summer internship and conduct original research.

Sacramento Partners

Sacramento Partners

Every year, the Matsui Center at UC Berkeley sends 30 undergraduate students to Sacramento to complete an 8-week public service internship. Fellows intern in the office of CA legislators, agencies, and constitutional offices; in non-profit organizations engaged in research, advocacy, or organizing; and in legal offices, media outlets, and other organizations that provide a public service.

Recent Cal-in-Sacramento Fellows have interned in the office of Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis, CA State Senator Melissa Hurtado...

Anna Maria Diaz

Class of 2023
2023 Schaeffer Fellowship
2023 Democracy Camp in Berkeley

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 works for Bay Area JusticeCorps, where she helps self-represented litigants navigate the legal system by providing legal information under the supervision of attorneys. Currently, Anna also works as a Law Clerk at a local law firm, eager to gain additional legal experience before applying for law school. In the future, she hopes to contribute to creating more paths for justice under the law and equitable access to legal services...