Matsui Center Cal-in-Sacramento Fellows

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.

Amy Lee

Class of 2025
2025 Percy Undergraduate Grant
2024 Cal-in-Sacramento

Amy Lee is a current second-year majoring in Legal Studies with minors in Asian American & Asian diaspora studies and education. She hopes to attend law school with an aspiration to work as a public defender in the future. While always having an innate interest in the legal field, her specific passion for criminal justice and public defense began after being exposed to the harsh realities and inequalities of the criminal justice system and the carceral state through classes, extracurriculars, and the media. She hopes to represent or assist those who do not have access to legal...

Amelia Rose Monsour

Class of 2026
2025 Schaeffer Fellowship
2024 Cal-in-Sacramento
2024 Jo Freeman Women in Politics Fellow
2023 Democracy Camp Berkeley Fellow

Amelia Monsour is a junior majoring in political science and sociology with a minor in public policy at the University of California, Berkeley. A proud graduate of Los Angeles public schools, Amelia is passionate about addressing inequities in education and supporting California’s public school system. She is also passionate about addressing economic inequality and hopes to pursue a career in public service and law to advocate for economic justice and educational equity.

Throughout her time at UC Berkeley, Amelia has continued to develop her interest in public...

Karla Katherine Vicencio Ramirez

Class of 2026
2025 Democracy Camp in DC
2024 Cal-in-Sacramento

Karla Katherine Vicencio Ramirez (she/her)

Hi, I’m Karla Vicencio-Ramirez. I'm a first generation, low-income, 3rd year at UC Berkeley. I am from San Bernardino, CA. I’m double majoring in Legal Studies and Sociology. I'm a part of many communities on campus, such as being an intern for the Chicanx/Latinx Student Development Center. I also am a co-facilitator of a support group on campus titled “MALCS” which stands for Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social. As a co-facilitator for MALCS I provide a safe environment for Latinx, Native American/Indigenous, Black...

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 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 prepare...

Kaia Kotero

Class of 2027
2025 Cal-in-Sacramento

Kaiana Kotero (She/Her)

Born into a modest family of six, Kaiana’s upbringing inspired a community-centric mindset that manifested into a career in law. Double majoring in legal studies and psychology, she hopes to explore the intersections of child development, education, and family-law policy. From an early age, she witnessed firsthand how involvement in the family court and tenant system can lead to long-lasting turmoil and struggle, which encouraged her to pursue organizations and initiatives that prioritize...

Joy Ruppert

Class of 2027
2025 Cal-in-Sacramento

Joy Ruppert (She/Her)

Joy Ruppert is a Chinese American transracial adoptee studying Political Science with minors in Ethnic Studies and Politics, Philosophy, and Law. Born in San Diego, Joy has been an advocate for educational opportunities and equal representation in both school and political systems. Growing up in predominantly white spaces, Joy understands what it feels like not to have a seat at the table or to believe that one can make a meaningful impact in their community. Motivated by this experience, Joy...

Christina Velasquez

Class of 2025
2025 Cal-in-Sacramento

Christina Velazquez Martinez is a first generation Latina from Laton, California. Growing up in Central California Christina became aware of educational spaces and opportunities to advance herself and her fellow community.


She currently is a 4th year student at UC Berkeley double majoring in Social Welfare and Educational Sciences. At Cal Christina is a facilitator of Muxeres Activas En Letras y Cambio Social (MALCS) since 2022. Creating syllabuses, leading discussion circles, and connecting first generation Latine, Afro-Latine, Indigenous, and gender non
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Jenny Rocha

Class of 2025
2025 Cal-in-Sacramento

Jenny Rocha is a first-generation student, majoring in Legal Studies and minoring in Food Systems. Born and raised in Santa Cruz, California, she is the eldest daughter of immigrants from Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico.

Growing up, she witnessed the hardships that her family and friends experienced due to their immigration status. In 2019, she started working with United We Dream, a youth led immigrant rights organization. Through this work, she discovered her passion for public service and gained an interest in immigration law. She is particularly interested in the intersections of
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Eric Zhu

Class of 2026
2025 Washington Fellow
2024 Cal-in-Sacramento
2024 Diversity & Entrepreneurship Fellow

Eric is a student at UC Berkeley, majoring in legal studies. Coming from an immigrant low-income household, he has witnessed and experienced the struggles of the immigrant community with language barriers and accessing institutional support.

In Eric's freshmen year in 2022, he joined the Racial Justice Now! organization as the UC Berkeley coordinated where he advocated for the Opportunity for All campaign through tabling, organizing rallies, giving public comments, and Op-Eds, which collectively with the other UC campus coordinators, pushed the UC
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