McCarthy Fellows in Sacramento | Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good

An Embodiment of our Values

(Interview reprinted from USF News 10/07/20.) As a McCarthy Center Community Empowered Activist (CEA), Evelyn Fernandez Pedraza ’21 embodies the university’s core values as a dedicated social justice advocate. In addition to majoring in Sociology and minoring in Public Service and Community Engagement, she’s also been an Esther Madriz Diversity Scholar (EMDS), a Resident Advisor,…

Internship Insights

The McCarthy Center’s annual “Power Breakfast“ is almost here! This is a celebration of the achievements of USF students who have interned in the world of public service. Our McCarthy Fellows serve in all levels of government and advocacy from Washington, D.C. to Sacramento to San Francisco! On November 8, a few of these McCarthy…

Discovering My Passion For Public Health

This summer I interned with Planned Parenthood, one of the most liberal organizations in the country. They are known for their outspoken progressive messaging and advocacy for reproductive rights. I worked in the California Affiliates office, where they are in charge of seven local affiliates and make sure legislation is passed to ensure reproductive rights…

We Weren’t Born to Follow

Trish Fontana was a former staffer for Leo T. McCarthy. She has also worked for two California Lt. Governors, two Governors, two First Ladies and two State Senators. She continues to work in the State Capitol, currently for Senator Richard D. Roth, a retired Major Air Force General who represents Riverside. This past weekend, I…

Advocating for Youth

CrystalVega, Urban Studies and Critical Diversity Studies ’18 What if local governments were the key to creating a new pipeline — a pipeline to the public sector? This is one of the projects being undertaken by the education and research nonprofit, the Institute for Local Government (ILG). Through their Governments Engaging Youth (GEY) project, they…

Learning to Care About Politics

Something that I often hear from family members, friends, and teachers is, “The government doesn’t work.” Chances are, if you’re familiar with American politics, you have heard or even said something similar yourself. This was the mindset that I even had as I prepared for my internship with the McCarthy Fellows program. Pessimistic? Sure, but…

What Pride Means to Me

Amanda Mitchell, ’15 B.A. Theology & Religious Studies As a San Francisco resident, a staff member of USF, and a McCarthy Center Alum of multiple programs (Advocate for Community Engagement, ACE Global Fellow, Sacramento Fellow, and Public Service and Community Engagement Minor), I am honored to share my thoughts and perspective on Pride as a…

Meet Our 2017 McCarthy Fellows

In this summer program, McCarthy Fellows spend 12 weeks in full time internships at Sacramento institutions that contribute to the California policy-making process. Student engage in everything from conducting legislative research to responding to constituent concerns to drafting policy memos. Concurrently, they participate in a California Politics course focused on exposing and analyzing the structures…