Meet our 2021 McCarthy Fellows in Sacramento

Our 2021 McCarthy Fellows in Sacramento have begun their full time internships, helping to make a difference from California’s Capitol! This summer, seven students will be experiencing  policymaking and advocacy in our California state capitol in organizations and, Assemblymember and State Senate offices.

Meet our 2021 Cohort and check out their placements!

Aaron Fontan ’23,
Major: Politics
Internship: California Democratic Party

Aaron is interning for the California Democratic Party part of the Operations Team. He is excited to expand his knowledge on the inner workings of state politics and structure of state organizations. Aaron inspires to use the skills and knowledge obtained from these internship experiences to help uplift marginalized communities. The USF in Sacramento program has made it possible for him to begin his journey into public service and community leadership.

 

Aniah Francis ’22,
Major: Sociology
Internship: Department of Education

Aniah Francis will be interning at The California Department of Education. She is passionate about ending the school-to-prison pipeline and creating more safe spaces for students to learn in. Additionally, she is currently interested in learning about the intersection of research and policy advocacy to create systemic change. This internship will allow her to learn and develop these skills and make long-lasting connections with people at the department of education and activist organizations from who she may learn.

 

Brianna Torres Ramales ’21,
Major: Political Science and Economics
Internship: Workforce Development Board

Briana Torres will be interning at the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB). She is excited to focus on policy related to business, labor, and economic development. During her internship she hopes to contribute to the positive impact the CWDB has on California’s economic recovery out of the current recession.

 

Metyia Phillips ’23, Major: Politics
Internship: Department of Education

Metyia will be interning for The California Department of Education. She is excited to learn more about educational policy, digital equity, and grant writing. Metyia hopes to refine her research, policy writing, advocacy skills while interning at the CDE. Furthermore, she hopes to use her internship and its virtual format to make connections with all the people she will work with in California education and California politics, to assist in her future goal of working in educational policy. After this summer, Metyia plans to participate in The USF In DC program in the Fall, to further her public service knowledge and experiences.

 

Jada Commodore ’23, Major: Politics
Internship: Assemblymember David Chiu

Jada Commodore is interning for Assembly Member David Chiu, representing District 17. She wants to use this opportunity to deepen her understanding of the assembly process as well as critical thinking. During her time working with the assembly member, she hopes to expand her horizon of issue areas and passions and learn more about the nitty-gritty of public policy and advocacy work.

 

Richelle Mah ’21,
Major: Psychology
Internships: Assemblymember Phil Ting, Workforce Development Board

Richelle will be interning for Assemblymember Ting and the California Workforce Development Board. She is eager to assist with constituent concerns at the assembly member’s office as well as increase awareness about California’s workforce priorities with the state board. During her internship, she hopes to increase awareness and accessibility to the resources available to Californians. She is excited to immerse herself into the work needed to be done to help Californians recover from the pandemic.

 

Jehieli Luevanos ’22, Major: Politics and Environmental Studies
Senator Scott Wiener

Jehieli will be interning for Senator Scott Wiener’s office. She is eager to assist with constituent concerns of District 11, as well as learn more about political communication. She hopes to connect her two majors, politics and environmental studies, during her internship to learn more about environmental policy; as well as refine her research and communication skills. After this summer, Jehieli will be finishing her senior year and participating in the USF in DC program in the spring to start her political career.

Learn more about our McCarthy Fellows in Sacramento program here.