Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipients

Charles H. Percy Undergraduate Grant for Public Affairs Research

The Institute of Governmental Studies will award up to four research grants annually in the amount of $1,000 each to UC Berkeley undergraduate students who are conducting research on an aspect of American politics, including public opinion, electoral behavior, civic participation, government institutions, social movements, and public policy. Students from a broad range of disciplines are encouraged to apply.

This grant is made possible by a generous donation from the late...

William Brandt, Jr. and Patrice Bugelas-Brandt

In Memoriam William A. Brandt, Jr.

September 5, 1949 - May 28, 2023

William “Bill” Arthur Brandt, Jr. passed away on May 28th at the age of 73, surrounded by family. Bill was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 5th, 1949, to William Sr. and Joan Brandt. Always on the move, he considered himself a man of many homes, and loved the nomadic lifestyle his work required as he grew his company, Development Specialists, Inc. (DSI) into a leading corporate restructuring consultancy with offices around the country.

An accomplished athlete, he was an alternate to the 1964 Olympic...

2024 Percy Synar Award Ceremony and Reception

February 23, 2024 2:00pm - 4:00pm Please join us as we congratulate the 2024 recipients of the Charles H. Percy Undergraduate Grant for Public Affairs Research and the Mike Synar Graduate Research Fellowship.

The Charles H. Percy Undergraduate Grant for Public Affairs Research 2024 Recipients

Alina Zarate (Environmental Sciences, Interdisciplinary Studies): "The Multiple Fronts of the Fight for Farm Worker Rights: An Analysis of UFW Political Advocacy in the 21st Century"

Andrew Huong Yet Chen (Political Science, Psychology): "Unveiling Voter...

2023 Percy Synar Award Ceremony and Reception

February 24, 2023 2:00pm - 4:00pm Please join us as we congratulate the 2023 recipients of the Charles H. Percy Undergraduate Grant for Public Affairs Research and the Mike Synar Graduate Research Fellowship.

An Awards Ceremony and Reception for the 2023 Charles H. Percy Undergraduate Grant and the Mike Synar Graduate Fellowship Recipients, by the Institute of Governmental Studies.

Each year, the Institute of Governmental Studies awards up to four Charles H. Percy research grants in the amount of $500 each to U.C. Berkeley undergraduate students who...

Varsha Sarveshwar

Class of 2020
2020 Percy Undergraduate Grant
National Advisory Council

Varsha Sarveshwar is a Rhodes Scholar studying public policy at the University of Oxford. Previously, she worked as an assistant deputy cabinet sceretary in the Office of California Governor Gavin Newsom. Her first year in the Governor’s Office was supported by UC Berkeley’s John Gardner Public Service Fellowship. Varsha graduated from UC Berkeley in 2020 with a B.A. in political science. She received the 2020 Political Science Departmental Citation, the Travers...

Anna Maria Diaz

Class of 2023
2024 Percy Undergraduate Grant
2023 Schaeffer Fellowship
2023 Democracy Camp in Berkeley

Anna is passionate about serving underserved communities through the lens of the law and legal system. As a Berkeley Peter E. Haas Public Service Leader, she worked for Bay Area JusticeCorps, where she helps self-represented litigants navigate the legal system by providing legal information under the supervision of attorneys. Now, with the Public Service Center’s support she works an as Undergraduate Intern at Marin County Public Defender’s Office. She also is a Student Researcher at the Human Rights Center Investigations Lab at Berkeley Law. Currently, Anna also works as a Law Clerk at a...

Andrew Huong Yet Chen

Class of 2024
2024 Percy Undergraduate Grant

Andrew Chen is a fourth-year student majoring in Political Science and Psychology and minoring in Data Science. He is passionate about studying the intersections between politics, psychology, data, and education. In particular, he is interested in researching the psychosocial factors that influence public opinion through laboratory and field experiments. He serves as the Lead Research Apprentice at UC Berkeley’s Social and Moral Judgment Lab, where he seeks to understand the forms and functions of everyday dehumanization and misperceptions. Among his many other roles on...

Alina Zarate

Class of 2024
2024 Percy Undergraduate Grant

Alina Zárate is a fifth-year student pursuing simultaneous degrees in Environmental Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies Field and minoring in Spanish. In 2019, Alina worked in the California Central Valley interning for the United Farm Workers of America. Additionally, she worked as a Vaccine Equity Campaign coordinator in the Bay Area during the COVID pandemic. Alina has studied and conducted research in Spain, Chile, and Australia and participated in research projects at UC Berkeley related to climate, sustainability, and labor rights. She currently serves as a Climate...