Democracy | Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good

Master of Public Affairs (MoPA) Immersion into D.C. and Campaign Research

The Master of Public Affairs DC immersion program was a great opportunity to learn about political opposition research and personally experience some of the challenges of working on a political campaign. – Enrique Aguilar

Beginning My USF in D.C. Experience

It was 34 degrees outside when I first landed at Dulles International Airport. Never having spent much time in cold weather, that was definitely a shock. The biggest shock, however, came when my Lyft driver pulled up in front of the University of California DC (UCDC) building and said, “Wow, you’re only six or seven blocks away from The White House, that’s cool!” – Emily Adsit

Jumping Back into the First Semester of Graduate School

As I look back on my first semester of graduate school, I remember how I felt starting the Master of Public Affairs (MoPA) program back in August. – Jeno Wilkinson

Applying ‘Change the World From Here to Washington, D.C.

s I walked into my supervisor’s office on my first day to partake in what would be one of many “huddles” (office lingo for team and one-on-one check-ins), I glanced across her desk to see a sticky note posted on her computer screen which read, “Every day counts!”- Katherine Pantangco

Chris Matthews Visiting Professor Inspires Millennials

Lauren Feuerborn Master of Public Affairs candidate’17 At the beginning of the semester in Proseminar of American Politics, our professor told us that Chris Matthews of MSNBC’s HARDBALL would be guest lecturing sometime in November. As time got closer the arrival of Matthews expanded to a reception, a breakfast event and two lectures. We were…

Elections and Democracy – San Francisco Style

As my friend Jon Bernstein pointed out in a Bloomberg View piece last year, the timing of our elections can have a profound consequence for policy and governance. For instance, the specific timing of the economic crash in 2008 had important implications for President Obama’s agenda. – Corey Cook

Seeing the Past in the Present: A History Lesson Through Walk SF

It was my second week working with Generation Citizen in a classroom. On the projector, there was an image of a map of San Francisco, displaying the districts and neighborhoods shaded in different colors to represent varying levels of unemployment. In front of me, the students, all 9th and 10th graders, took turns asking questions and pointing out things they noticed on the map. – Benjamin Rosete-Estrada

Election Day Reflection: Supporting Stevon Cook’s Campaign for Board of Education

“”Our campaigns have not grown more humanistic because candidates are more benevolent or their policy concerns more salient. In fact, over the last decade, public confidence in institutions- big business, the church, the media, government- has declined dramatically. The political conversation has privileged the nasty and trivial. Yet during that period, election seasons have awakened…