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

Meet our 2025 USF in DC Fellows!

We are pleased to introduce the spring cohort of eight students who will join us this semester for our USF in Washington, D.C. Fellows program. They come from multiple backgrounds, have diverse interests, and arrive with a common thread and dedication to public service. Currently, they’re applying their skills and determination to internships in the…

Reaching Voters through Community: My Work with SF Elections and USFVotes

Read along on a journey of civic empowerment with Hannah Nelson as she intertwines her experiences with USFVotes and the San Francisco Department of Elections. In her blog post, Hannah shares the transformative power of community engagement, breaking down stereotypes of formal government work, and highlighting her role in making elections more accessible. Join her…

Meet the 2024 USF In DC Fellows

Congratulations to our newest cohort of USF in DC Fellows. This semester, nine students from various majors will be immersed in the policymaking processes in the U.S. capital. Our fellows will get a front row seat to observe and learn how public policy happens at the national level and build the skill set necessary to…

Defense Beyond the Courtroom

In this week’s blog Allyssa Olear, McCarthy Fellow in San Francisco, describes her internship with the Public Defender’s Office working on projects, Open the Courts Public Action and the Adachi Project. Similar the earlier blog by McCarthy Fellow cohort member, Kacie Williams, Allyssa strengthened her passion to continue public service and commit to advocating for…

In the Service of Equality

Former member of the California State Assembly, and McCarthy Center Emeritus Board of Advisor, Betsy Butler, recently gave an interview in The Easy Reader as executive director of the California Women’s Law Center. She elaborates on the issues she’s working on, from advocating for assault and rape survivors, to gendered pay disparity. This interview have…

Our Best of Student Success

When you think about the best of USF and the best of student leadership and service, it’s impossible NOT to think about the McCarthy Center. Join us at BOSS – the Best of Student Success – on Friday, October 18 from noon to 2:30 at the McLaren Center. BOSS is part of Celebrate USF, a…

Thrills at 48 Hills

Zachary James ’20, graduate student in the Urban and Public Affairs program, spent his summer working in the field of investigative journalism as a writer for the local online newspaper, 48 Hills. He reflects in this week’s blog on the issue areas he was exposed to and how his internship gave him the ideas for…

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…