Washington Fellows

Alejandro Alvarez

2023 Matsui Washington Fellow
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...

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...

Naz Balkam

2021 Matsui Washington Fellow
Placement: USAID’s Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs Placement Location: Washington, D.C.

Naz Balkam is a first-generation Ethiopian-American studying Political Science at UC Berkeley. As a life-long Oakland resident and the daughter of two working-class Ethiopian immigrants, she has seen the ways in which the government has both failed and succeeded in addressing the socio-economic issues impacting low-income communities and communities of color. Her upbringing has guided her towards a career in serving these communities. Throughout her time at UC...

Rosie Echeverria

Class of 2023
2023 Democracy Camp in Berkeley
2023 Cal-in-Sacramento
2022 Schaeffer Fellowship
2022 Washington Fellowship
Placement: Rep. Adam Schiff - Burbank District Office Mentor: Colleen Oinuma

Rosie Echeverria was born and raised in East Hollywood, Los Angeles in a Central American immigrant household and she is a first-generation, low-income, EOP, DSP, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ student at UC Berkeley. She went to Santa Monica College (SMC) for about two and a half years then transferred and moved to UC Berkeley in Fall 2020, toward the beginning of the covid pandemic. She is a Political Science major with a minor in Public Policy and Education.

Her...

Nathan Jauregui

2023 Matsui Washington Fellow
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...

Arianna Laolagi

Class of 2024
2024 Washington Fellowship - Spring
Placement: Office of Representative Dan Goldman, U.S. House of Representatives Placement Location: Washington, D.C. Arianna Valentina Laolagi, a first-generation Latine student at UC Berkeley, is a dedicated leader and change-maker for her communities. Born and raised in an Immigrant household in Burbank, California, the issues that she has grown most passionate about are the ones that have directly affected her family. After graduation, Arianna is committed to reforming the Housing Crisis and Immigration Policy, and she plans to do so through...

Devyn Lopez

2022 Matsui Washington Fellow

Devyn Lopez is a third-year student at UC Berkeley. She is pursuing a major in Social Welfare and a Spanish minor. Devyn was raised in the Bay Area most of her life and discovered how crucial it is to give back to her community when she moved to East San Jose. Devyn is committed to assisting communities of color and under-served populations through direct legal, educational, or social services aimed to help individuals build a sense of agency. She is genuinely passionate about ending gender-based violence and one of her ultimate aspirations is to advocate on behalf of survivors of...

Luis Leon Lopez

2023 Matsui Washington Fellow
Placement: Placement Location: Washington, D.C.

As a first generation student, Luis majored in Political Science at the University of California Berkeley. Raised an in immigrant home in the small City of Vista he was exposed to the every day struggles undocumented family’s 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...

Sarah Marin

Class of 2024
2024 Washington Fellowship - Spring
Placement: Office of Senator Alex Padilla, U.S. Senate Placement Location: Washington, D.C.

Motivated by a desire to educate herself to help those who do not have the resources to better themselves and their communities, Sarah has always been interested in helping marginalized areas like the her own: East Los Angeles. The severe juxtaposition between her hometown and the upbringing of a large percentage of UC Berkeley students was evidence that reforms were mandatory to compensate for the welfare of systemically...

Ali Marvin

Class of 2024
2024 Washington Fellowship - Spring
Placement: Committee on Rules, U.S. House of Representatives Placement Location: Washington, D.C.

Ali has been a lifelong advocate of social justice. Having experienced years of childhood homelessness, she intimately grasps the influence of money on human life. By elementary school, Ali was able to recognize the evilness of capitalism and aspired to dismantle it. Now, as a young adult, she has completed her requirements for a major in Legal Studies and a minor in Race and Law,...