Matsui Center Washington Fellows

Queenie Lam

Class of 2021
2020 Washington Fellowship - Spring
Placement: Congressional Intern with Congressman Ami Bera (D-CA-7) at the U.S. House of Representatives Placement Location: Washington, D.C. Major: Political Science and Media Studies

Queenie Lam is a first-generation college student at UC Berkeley, double-majoring in Political Science and Media Studies. Her main interests lie between the intersection of politics, public policy, and marketing in how it affects the legislative process and campaign cycle. Her previous experience includes working the Secretary of State to advocate for voter education and...

Nathan Jauregui

Class of 2023
2023 Washington Fellowship - Spring
Placement: American Enterprise Institute Placement Location: Washington, D.C.

Nathan Jauregui has always had an interest in justice, the law, and policy, and turned those interests into passions at UC Berkeley. As a nontraditional transfer and deferred student, finding opportunities that pertained to these interests and could serve his communities was a top priority. During his first semester at UC Berkeley, Nathan served in the ASUC as an intern of the Policy and Legislation Department before being promoted to...

Courtney Kirkland

Class of 2020
2020 Washington Fellowship - Spring
Placement: USAID's Bureau for Africa

Courtney is a graduating senior originally from Colfax, CA double majoring in Sociology and Society and Environment with a concentration in Global Policy. While studying abroad at the University of Ghana, she was inspired by the country’s resilience and passion for liberation and has become fascinated with how foreign policy has the power to both preserve geopolitical oppression and institutionalize peace and prosperity. Wanting to learn how policies are made and who makes them, Courtney has conducted research at Berkeley’s Center for...

Rozette De Castro

Class of 2018
2018 Washington Fellowship - Spring
Placement: University of California Federal Governmental Relations Major: Political Science Rozette De Castro is a graduating senior at UC Berkeley, pursuing a major in Political Science. She is a first generation immigrant and college student. She was born and raised in Bacolod, Philippines but for the past 6 years has identified more with the Bay Area. While at UC Berkeley, Rozette was able to find her passion in policy making specifically the accessibility of higher education. And because of that same passion she has created recruitment and retention programs for...

Yara Chaves-Andrade

Class of 2022
2020 Washington Fellowship - Fall
Placement: National Immigration Forum Placement Location: Washington, D.C.

My name is Yara Chaves Andrade. I am a DACA recipient and a first-generation student. My major is English at the University of California, Berkeley. My main interest is fighting for human rights thus being the reason why my future career goal is to be an Immigration attorney. My previous experience as an intern for the Immigration Law Offices of Hadley Bajramovic has shaped my knowledge and interest in law. While at Berkeley, I am the Director of the Legal Events and Planning committee of...

Socorro Galindo-Hernandez

Class of 2021
2021 Washington Fellowship - Spring
Placement: EEOC under Chief Judge Emily MacMillian Placement Location: Washington, D.C.

Socorro Galindo-Hernandez is a first-generation college student at UC Berkeley, majoring in Legal Studies. Before coming to UC Berkeley, I was interested in public service because I understood the need of helping communities flourish and develop. Growing up in Los Angeles, specifically, the Westlake/MacArthur Park area I was able to experience many impactful encounters because of the spread in homelessness and poverty. Currently I intern at the San Francisco Superior Court’s...

Alejandro Alvarez

Class of 2024
2023 Washington Fellowship - Spring
Placement: Congresswoman Matsui's office Placement Location: Washington, D.C.

Growing up in the Sacramento area, Alejandro experienced the effects of prolonged droughts and wildfires. In his neighborhood outdoor space, Alejandro noticed that the droughts had dried out the seasonal creek bed and the “green” outdoor area became more of a prolonged “yellow” space. In response, his family increasingly became concerned with limiting their resource consumption and electrifying their home. Although these experiences were not unique to him, Alejandro...

Maxwell Bessard

Class of 2020
2020 Washington Fellowship - Spring
Placement: National League of Cities Placement Location: Washington, D.C. Major: Political Science

Maxwell Bessard is a student at the University of California, Berkeley studying political science. Although he was born and raised in Fresno, California, he has generational ties to the Bay Area. While serving on the student executive board of the UC Berkeley California Public Interest Research Group, Maxwell was an active and passionate advocate for the Berkeley student population and greater community. He is proud to have belonged to a community of...

Ines Alvarado

Class of 2026
2025 Washington Fellowship - Fall

Ines Alvarado is a first-generation, formerly incarcerated student from East Los Angeles, now double-majoring in Linguistics and Legal Studies at UC Berkeley. Her academic journey reflects resilience, advocacy, and a deep commitment to equity. Before transferring to Berkeley, she served as a student leader at East Los Angeles College, where she held roles in the Associated Student Union and learned how to channel her lived experience into collective empowerment.

At Berkeley, Ines has continued that path as a Thriving Data Fellow...

Gwen Tam

Class of 2026
2025 Washington Fellowship - Fall

Gwen Tam is first-generation, Chinese-Vietnamese transfer student at UC Berkeley majoring in political science. A Bay Area native, Gwen’s passion for politics and policy comes from watching their own community, family, and diaspora struggle to survive in a system that did not serve them to the best of its ability. Their love for public service is something that was ultimately shaped by a love for their people. They want to work in the intersection of communications and policy in a position that would allow them to grant their community a voice where they were...