Matsui Center Washington Fellows

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...

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...

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...

The idea of living in Washington, DC, and working in the highest levels of government was something I was very interested in since starting as a freshman at Cal. As someone who has known no other state than California, living in DC took some getting used to. My time in DC started with walking around and seeing the city. My...