Washington Center

Student Stories: Spring 2016

Read about current UCDC student experiences. A student profile is posted to our Facebook page every Wednesday. 

Linda Ha, UC Irvine

Linda Ha, UC Irvine

Linda Ha is a news coverage intern at Voice of America - VOA, the official external broadcast institution of the U.S. federal government. Linda is currently a junior, majoring in Literary Journalism and minoring in Business Management from UC Irvine.

"I've loved every minute of working at VOA. It never feels like a 9-5 job because every day is different! One day I might be going to interview an ICIJ reporter on the Panama Papers, another day I might be prepping the anchors in the studio for their live shot."

Watch Linda's first news report on "Asian Americans Underrepresented in News Media" here

Luis Gonzalez, UC San Diego

Luis Gonzalez, UC San Diego

 

Luis (seen wearing glasses) is a congressional intern for the office of Congressman Xavier Becerra, Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. Some of Luis' duties include research for contentious bills, writing memorandums, and filming and editing videos featuring members of Congress. Luis is a third year at UC San Diego and is pursuing a double major in Political Science (Public Law) and Ethnic Studies.

"Had some time to chat and take a selfie with our boss, Congressman Xavier Becerra, aka: Xavi. It's been pretty great working for a Chicano Congressman from California who makes an effort to embrace diversity in his staff, give opportunities to people of color on the hill, and understands the hardship of being a first generation college student trying to make it big."

Bridgette Walling, UCLA 

Bridgette Walling, UCLA

Bridgette Walling is a  legislative and policy intern at SurvJustice, a national not-for-profit that increases the prospect of justice for survivors of sexual violence. Bridgette is currently a fourth year Psychology major from UCLA.

“I am extremely thankful to be doing something I love—helping survivors. D.C. has been a wonderful opportunity for me to influence change through legislation. Alongside my boss, I work with people who are drafting, re-writing, and passing legislation to further SurvJustice’s cause.”

From left to right: Congressman Jim Costa (D CA-16), Bridgette Walling, and Congressman Ted Poe (R TX-02). Both thanked Bridgette personally for her work with SurvJustice during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.

Mark Salay, UC Santa Barbara 

Mark Salay, UC Santa Barbara

Mark Salay is a communications intern at LULAC, the oldest Hispanic civil rights organization in the country. Mark will be graduating this spring with a major in Communication and minors in Professional Writing and History from UC Santa Barbara.

"What I enjoy most about my role is the opportunity to write and share important stories for a national audience on issues I am passionate about. The responsibility LULAC gives me to write with editorial independence—whether it be reporting on rallies held at the Supreme Court to issues about environmental racism—is indispensable. Working for LULAC has also exposed me to grassroots work and has inspired me to see my writing as a form of activism."

From left to right: Mark with Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, recipient of The Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling for her work in exposing the government cover-up of the Flint water crisis. 

Rodrigo Mendez, UC Santa Cruz 

Rodrigo Mendez, UC Santa Cruz

 

Rodrigo Mendez is a third year at UC Santa Cruz majoring in Politics, Latin America, and Latino Studies. As an intern at CISPES (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador), he assists with events, briefings, and organizes with the DC community to fulfill CISPES’ mission.

“As a recent Salvadoran immigrant and CISPES intern, I have come to learn more about my identity, culture, and the history and politics of El Salvador. Working at the CISPES National Office in Washington D.C., has opened doors and allowed me to interact with the Salvadoran community in search for a common goal: to demand an end of Western intervention in El Salvador, which has caused high levels of violence, economic instability, and waves of migration towards North America and the entire world.” 

Enid Ocegueda, UC Riverside 

Enid Ocegueda, UC Riverside

Enid Ocegueda interns at the Sewall-Belmont House and Museum, which was recently designated as a national monument by President Obama. As collections assistant, she catalogs items for exhibitions, assists with the digitization of the National Woman’s Party photograph collection, and conducts outreach for the Equal Rights magazine Redistribution Project to promote women’s history scholarship. Enid will be graduating with a history major from UC Riverside this June.

“The great thing about working with collections is going to work and not knowing what to expect. From handling Nina Allender’s (official cartoonist of the National Woman’s Party from 1914 to 1927) Political Cartoon Collection to working with the NWP's amazing photo collection, this internship has facilitated my love for history, museums, and archives, while emphasizing the importance of women's history. Having the opportunity to work with such knowledgeable people has made this experience well worth it."

Enid holds one of Nina Allender's political cartoons, titled: "Susan B. Anthony to the women of today. 'Everything but the vote is still to be won.'" - Feb. 24, 1923

 

Sofia Van Cleve, UC Los Angeles 

Sofia Van Cleve

Sofia Van Cleve works at The Corporate Council on Africa as a Health Initiative intern. Her duties include gathering news stories on African healthcare, managing correspondence with diplomats and government ministries, and performing research for reports on Cote d’Ivoire’s trade and Blue Economy infrastructure. Sofia is majoring in International Development Studies with a minor in Global Health from UCLA.

"I never expected to learn so much from an internship! The incredible people at Corporate Council on Africa have taught me a ton about business and foreign affairs. It’s an exciting workplace where I get to do something different every day--from researching Africa's private sector healthcare to welcoming the Kenyan ambassador or organizing a meeting with Facebook's head of African Policy."

 

Priya Mathur, UC Santa Barbara 

Priya Mathur, UC Santa Barbara

This spring quarter, Priya Mathur interned at Leading Authorities Inc. (LAI), an agency that arranges speakers and media for conferences and events. As marketing intern, she co-wrote blog posts, maintained speaker bios on the website, created marketing content to promote LAI’s services, and assisted with event planning. Priya is a second year at UC Santa Barbara majoring in Communication with a minor in Professional Writing.

“I love that my job reflects my time in DC - that is, learning about a million different how to’s, who’s who, and more every day. I always have a wide range of meaningful work to do. Part of the job includes daily meetings with experts on all subjects imaginable. It would be hard to find a more fulfilling experience. If this is adulthood, I don't think I mind it as much as I thought I would.”

Read a blog post that Priya wrote for LAI here.

Tye Rush, UC Riverside 

Tye Rush, UC Riverside

Tye Rush works as the assistant to the CEO at the Cohen Research Group. His duties include calling congressional offices to update the database for the mobile application, “Congress in Your Pocket,” advising the CEO on how to expand and improve the application, and designing survey questions for client polls. Tye recently graduated from UC Riverside with degrees in Political Science and Public Service.

"Every day of the week was different. One day I'd be going door-to-door from one congressional office to the next, and the next day I'd be in a meeting with the head of marketing at Blue Labs, the analytics firm that worked on Obama's 2012 campaign."

Cassandra Wagner, UC Riverside

Cassandra Wagner, UC Riverside

Cassandra Wagner interned at 826DC this past spring. As publishing intern, she designed lesson plans for the personal narrative series at a local high school, taught students creative writing and storytelling, and assisted with book production—including copy-editing and laying out content in InDesign. Cassandra recently graduated UC Riverside with a degree in Creative Writing.

"Finding an internship you love can be a challenge, but it’s even better when an internship experience like I had with 826DC inspires a newfound passion. I never expected the program to show me an alternative career path the way that it has. I loved working with students pushing their creativity to create stories they are proud of. When all was said and done I helped compile those stories into a keepsake book."