I am currently interning at Crossroads Campaign Solutions, where I’m gaining hands-on experience in political campaign strategy and digital communications. My day-to-day responsibilities include assisting with social media outreach, conducting research on political trends, and drafting content for client campaigns. I’ve also had the opportunity to participate in strategy meetings, where I learn about the decision-making processes behind key campaign tactics.
Living and working in Washington, D.C., has been an incredible experience so far. Being...
DC is a surprising city. It’s a beautiful place with so much history, you could throw a rock and hit a landmark around here- it’s just so tense. I don’t know if DC is always this way or if it’s the current administration, but there’s an aura of apprehension that hangs in the air. However, it could be living in a building full of people paying close attention to the political landscape and interning at the Human Rights Campaign that makes it feel like the end of days. But it does feel like I’m living through history being this close to everything. Going out and meeting...
One of the most memorable moments of my time in D.C. happened almost immediately upon arrival. I landed during a record-cold winter storm, one that led to many airport cancellations and flight delays, in the first week of January, which felt especially daunting. As a native Californian who loves the sun, I anticipated but feared this winter. Before coming to D.C., I would have been the first to avoid the cold. But on my first night here, I saw students at the UCDC Center in our outdoor patio area, having snowball fights and building snowmen. I grabbed my layers, scarf, and...
My semester at DC so far has been a complex experience on so many levels. There were times when I was deeply inspired and moved. There were other times when my eyes were opened to the reality of what it means to be in the political realm.
Before my internship even started, my roommate, Xavier, and I had the wonderful opportunity to listen in on the oral arguments for the TikTok v. Garland hearing in the Supreme Court on January 10th. We slept and waited outside in the snow the night before in order to get inside the Supreme Court at 8 am the...
The Matsui Center Washington Fellowship offers financial support for Cal undergraduate students participating in the UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC). The fellowship provides a $1,000 stipend to help defray the costs of spending a semester in Washington, DC.
Eligibility
This Fellowship is only open to UC Berkeley students who have already been accepted to the UC Berkeley Washington Program. Visit the UC...
Joanna Ugalde is a senior at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Sociology. She is a first-generation college student, who was born and raised in Southern California as the daughter of Mexican immigrants, who came to the United States seeking better opportunities for their children.
Joanna’s journey has been shaped by overcoming numerous challenges, including breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty. As a student parent of four children, she has navigated the complexities of balancing family life with her academic...
My time in DC allowed me to realize my full potential, and to create a better vision of the role I see public service playing in my future. Being from California, DC exposed me to the ways different communities across the country express themselves through activism and culture. Learning about DC politics and the unique histories of the different neighborhoods that make up the federal district opened my eyes to see DC as more than just our center of government, but a place that thrives on storytelling and the work of marginalized communities to make their voices heard. At...
Isabella is a first-generation Latine student at UC Berkeley, majoring in Political Science with a focus on International Relations. She was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley by a loving family who immigrated from Mexico in the 1980's. Her academic pursuits and passion for public service inspired her to become an International Lawyer to defend those suffering from the greatest injustices around the world.
During Isabella’s time at UC Berkeley she has been dedicated taking an active role in the campus community, through conducting research as a...
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...
Noor Alramadan is a driven, first-generation third-year studying media studies with a concentration in media law and policy and a minor in education. As the daughter of immigrant parents in a dual-heritage household from Nicaragua and Iraq, her upbringing has shaped her values toward education and human rights advocacy. She is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in higher education and professional spaces, grounded by her experiences growing up in Chula Vista and attending public K-12 schools.
Her passion for public service is rooted in her experience as a longtime Girl...
