Matsui Center Washington Fellows

UCDC Fall 2024: From Familiarity to Discovery - 11 weeks in DC

November 18, 2024
Tamara Segura

Over the past 11 weeks, my UCDC experience has been full of surprises. While I anticipated the usual challenges—like adjusting to a new environment, navigating travel logistics, and dealing with the distance from friends and family—I never expected to adapt so quickly or to find joy in this transition. Initially, I thought being away from my loved ones would be harder than it turned out to be, especially since I’m not usually a fan of change. However, this experience has surprisingly been exactly what I needed. It forced me out of my comfort zone, allowing me to learn how to handle change...

UCDC Spring 2024: Marble Motivation - Reflecting on My Semester in Washington D.C.

May 2, 2024
Arianna Laolagi

Every day around 5 PM, sometimes much later, I left the Cannon House Office Building from the exit that faced the Capitol Dome. I am enamored with this Monument. Every time I saw it either coming to or leaving work, it served as 288 feet of marble motivation. It reminded me of the immense privilege it was to be invited to a space of such significance and importance. It fueled me with the energy I needed to complete an 8-hour workday, a 3-hour class, and a few miscellaneous hours for homework and making a phone call home.

On my last day after I...

UCDC Fall 2024: Reflection of My Time in DC - Commitment to the Common Good

January 21, 2025
Tamara Segura

latina woman posing in front of building

My time in Washington, D.C. was far more enriching than I had anticipated. I arrived expecting to visit the usual landmarks—the monuments, museums, and the White House—but what truly captivated me was the sense of unity and collaboration that seemed to define the city. In a place where the political,...

Luis Lopez

2023 Washington Fellowship - Spring
Placement: Placement Location: Washington, D.C.

As a first generation student, Luis majored in Political Science at the University of California Berkeley. Raised in the small City of Vista, he was exposed to the every day struggles immigrant families faces in southern California, from unfair treatment by the justice system to blocked access to basic social programs. This put him on a career path in Law and is planning to attend law school after he graduates spring 2023. Eager to involve himself in the law field, Luis...

UCDC Fall 2024: Under the Capitol’s Canopy - A Dive into Oversight with a Side of Cheesecake

November 18, 2024
Michele Talley

Woman smiles while taking selfie

Interning at the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Oversight and Accountability in the Rayburn Office Building has been an engaging and impactful experience, allowing me to immerse myself in the mechanisms of governance while advocating for the rights and needs of constituents. As...

UCDC Fall 2024: Discovering DC - Communities Rich in Activism, Culture and History

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 parents were with me when I first arrived, and we walked the National Mall and around Dupont Circle to visit the UC Washington Center and see where I would live for the next four months. One of my favorite moments from my first weeks in DC was when we...

Yajaira Arroyo

Class of 2025
2024 Washington Fellowship - Fall
Placement: UC Federal Government Relations (Legislative Internship) Placement Location: Washington, DC

Yajaira Arroyo is a first-generation college student at UC Berkeley, pursuing a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Spanish Language, Literature, and Culture. As the eldest daughter of Mexican immigrants and a native of Oxnard, California, growing up in a mixed-legal status household has shaped her passion for public service, particularly in pathways to higher education and immigration reform.

During her time at UC...

Tamara Segura

Class of 2025
2024 Washington Fellowship - Fall
Placement: Pending Placement Location: Washington, DC

Growing up as an immigrant in Northern California, Tamara has firsthand experience with the profound challenges that come with lacking immigration status. These include limited job opportunities, the constant threat of deportation, and financial insecurity. Despite these difficulties, her passion for immigration reform has only grown, fueled by her personal experiences and her academic journey at Berkeley, where she studies Political Science. She has been exposed to the difficulties that keep...

Michele Talley

Class of 2024
2024 Washington Fellowship - Fall
Placement: U.S. House Committee on Oversight & Accountability (Clerk Internship) Placement Location: Washington, DC Raised in South Central Los Angeles, Talley is dedicated to addressing disproportionate rates of incarceration and criminalization, housing insecurities and lack of adequate healthcare services faced by marginalized communities. Growing up, Talley witnessed friends, neighbors and family experience criminalization and harsh sentencing. More recently, while supporting her mother through her battle with Stage III breast cancer, Talley...

UCDC Spring 2024: In the Face of Uncertainty, Embrace Curiosity

April 29, 2024
Sarah Marin

My three months in Washington D.C. have been undeniably transformative both personally and professionally. Throughout my four years of college, I struggled with the uncertainty of what awaited me after graduation, but from the moment I set foot in the city, I fell in love with its energy. I wish I could explain it. It didn't take long for me to realize that my future lay within the halls of Capitol Hill. I had pledged to myself that I would never leave California, yet aside from the cold winters and terrible Mexican food, Washington D.C. quickly felt like home. ...