Matsui Center Cal-in-Sacramento Fellows

How to Apply to Cal-in-Sacramento

Application

The 2027 Cal-in-Sacramento application is due by Sunday, October 4, 2026 at 11:59pm. The application includes:

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

About the Program

The Cal-in-Sacramento Fellowship is designed to train the next generation of public service leaders through a highly supportive and comprehensive approach to experiential learning.

Fellows develop critical skills and engage thoughtfully with key policy issues using a 3-pillar model, combining coursework, research training, and professional development. These components provide the foundation for the Cal-in-Sacramento capstone: the summer public service internship.

Nancy Kim

Class of 2023
Matsui Center Student Ambassador
2022 Cal-in-Sacramento
2022 Schaeffer Fellowship
Placement: Congressional and Public Affairs Department, Millenium Challenge Corporation Placement Location:

Nancy Kim is a junior from Dublin, Ohio studying Economics and Media Studies. Her career interests include equitable economic and workforce development policies. After graduation, she hopes to combine her communications and policy background to implement programs that not only promote economic well-being, but also focus on raising marginalized communities.
Nancy currently serves as the Chief Communications...

Brandon Maskey

Class of 2027
2027 Cal-in-Sacramento
2027 Matsui Center Student Director
2026 Cal-in-Sacramento

Brandon Maskey is a second generation Nepali-Chinese American at UC Berkeley studying Political Science with a minor in City & Regional Planning and Public Policy. Growing up in an immigrant household across the Bay Area, Brandon understood homeownership as a fundamental opportunity for upward mobility and building community.

Through his transfer experiences at Diablo Valley College, where he concurrently served as their Associated Students’ Vice President of Legislative Affairs and region-wide Legislative Affairs Director for the Student Senate for California Community Colleges...

2027 Cal-in-Sac Fellows

Sacramento Partners

For 50 years, the Cal-in-Sacramento program has helped prepare our state's future leaders for careers in public service. Help us train the next generation!

Every year, the Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service at UC Berkeley sends 25-30 undergraduate students to Sacramento to complete highly substantive public service internships. Before commencing their internships, Fellows are required to take a 3-unit spring semester course on California politics, policy, and governance, which is designed to train and...

Cal-in-Sac Supplemental Fellowships

Cal-in-Sacramento Supplemental Fellowships

Most summer internships are unpaid. To assist with affordability and ensure that this life-changing public service opportunity is open to all student regardless of financial status, the Cal-in-Sac Fellowship Program provides students with free, shared housing at Sac State, a $200 transportation stipend, and a modest living stipend (usually $1,500). Cal-in-Sacramento applicants are also invited to apply to one of the following supplemental Fellowships, which includes a larger living stipend ($2,550) along with specific requirements related to the...

Christian Dieguez

Class of 2026
2026 Cal-in-Sacramento
2026 Ken Burt Fellow
2025 Washington Fellowship - Fall
2024 Democracy Camp Student Director
2024 Democracy Camp in Berkeley
2023 Democracy Camp in Berkeley

Christian is a driven, first-generation student at UC Berkeley majoring in political science with a minor in public policy. Being raised in Los Angeles, California, Christian has become passionate about addressing the historically discriminatory systems that shape the access to opportunities and resources for many individuals. He is particularly interested in creating immigration reform and keeping families together, strengthening our human rights, and investing in early education.

During his time at UC Berkeley, Christian has been an active member in the Berkeley community by...

2025 Diversity and Entrepreneurship Undergraduate Research Symposium

October 3, 2025 9:30am - 2:00pm Creating Opportunity in the Midst of Crises; Strategies for Increasing Access, Reducing Disparity, & Strengthening Diverse Small Businesses in California

In Spring of 2021, the Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) at the University of California, Berkeley, was awarded a grant of more than $333,000 from the Wells Fargo Foundation to launch a two-year Diversity and Entrepreneurship Fellowship Program. The new initiative expands Berkeley undergraduate research, advocacy and internship experiences that focus on how small...