Democracy Camp Berkeley

Daira Rivera

Class of 2024
2023 Democracy Camp in Berkeley Student Director
2023 Democracy Camp in Berkeley
2022 Schaeffer Fellowship
2022 Democracy Camp in Berkeley
Placement: Placement Location:

Daira grew up in Hayward California and her parents are from Nayarit Mexico. She is currently a senior attending UC Berkeley majoring in Political Science with a minor in public policy. Her career is geared towards being a civil rights attorney and one day working in public policy. Throughout her upbringing, she became aware of the systematic failures that affect low-income POC and wants to dedicate her career to aid the effort in changing them. She ultimately wants a career in public service that will fulfill her...

Harold Morales-Navas

Class of 2027
2024 Democracy Camp in Berkeley

Harold Morales-Navas (he/him)

As the child of immigrants from Central America, Harold Morales-Navas is a young and enthusiastic character who is currently a freshman at UC Berkeley. As a double major in media studies and sociology, Harold aims to pursue a difference in the world by participating in civil activism and public engagement. Harold has experience leading groups in debates and civil discourses, and has worked with organizations such as the ACLU and USC Anneberg.

Erkki Forster

Class of 2025
2024 Democracy Camp in Berkeley

Erkki Forster (he/him)

Erkki Forster was born in Berlin, raised in Zurich and Tokyo, and moved to Los Angeles as a teenager in 2016. It was during this transformative journey that his insatiable curiosity for global affairs and politics drove him to immerse himself in international media, sparking his love for journalism. In high school, he joined the student-run newspaper, The Samohi, which he eventually came to run as editor-in-chief. At UC Berkeley, Erkki majors in global studies and is currently the deputy editor of the opinion section at The Daily Californian...

Elena Hsieh

Class of 2024
2024 Democracy Camp in Berkeley

Elena Hsieh (she/her)

Elena Hsieh is a third year from San Diego studying English and conservation & resource studies, with a minor in politics, philosophy, and law. Within these spheres of interest, she is most passionate about environmental litigation, animal welfare, and ecological literature. She is driven to pursue the legal field as a means to substantiate change for those from less privileged backgrounds, as she witnesses the disproportionate impacts of climate change across all life forms, especially people divided by wealth disparities....

Annmarie Le

Class of 2025
2024 Democracy Camp in Berkeley

Annmarie Le (she/her)

Annmarie Le was raised in a Southern California immigrant household by hardworking and resilient parents who started from scratch. She has always been passionate about learning and hopes to research foreign policy and international affairs. This passion is rooted in her experience growing up in an immigrant household, which exposed her to the difficulties of the immigration process.

Transferring to UC Berkeley in fall of 2023, she aimed to maximize the resources available. With a Political Science degree and...

Axel Contreras

Class of 2024
2024 Democracy Camp in Berkeley

Axel Contreras (he/him)

Axel Contreras is a current student in UC Berkeley hoping to obtain a degree in political science. He is a first-generation transfer student from Union City, CA. Growing up as the son of immigrant parents, he has witnessed how effects of decisions from past administrations and legislative policies have negatively influenced one’s day to day life through fear of deportation and the tearing apart of families within his community. As a result, Axel hopes to serve as a platform for undocumented immigrants within his community and be the voice of the...

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...

Alma Castillo

Class of 2025
2024 Democracy Camp in DC
2023 Democracy Camp in Berkeley

Alma Castillo is a first-generation, low-income, second-year student at UC Berkeley from South Central Los Angeles. At Cal, she is a part of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), Disabled Students Program (DSP), and Biology Scholars Program (BSP). She also participates in the College Corps Fellowship and is the Public Relations co-chair of UC Berkeley’s Comunidad for Health Equity (CHE). She is majoring in Public Health because she wants to help people from low-income communities live healthier lives by connecting them to health resources. She also wants to...

Aisha Elbgal

Class of 2025
2022 Democracy Camp in Berkeley

Aisha Elbgal is a first-generation Muslim Yemeni-American with an intended major in Social Welfare. She was born and raised in Oakland, California where she has witnessed a plethora of issues engulf her beloved city coupled with the lack of action at the hands of those in power. This sparked a passion in Aisha from a young age when she gave a speech at her middle school about the early rise of gentrification and displacement in what was once a beautiful and diverse Oakland. She is now working to address issues such as educational inequity, public health and safety, homelessness...

Marisa Buenrostro

Class of 2025
2023 Democracy Camp in Berkeley

Marisa comes from a Mexican-American background- grounded in the intersections of gratitude, pride, and community. She is motivated by those around her to pursue her passion of working for the betterment of public service by giving back to the people that gave so much to her including the immigrant and refugee communities. This is reflected in her work with the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services where she was able to provide basic needs support to refugees such as delivering healthy groceries and furnishing their housing accommodations.

Before transferring to UC Berkeley...