PAINTING D.C. BLUE AND GOLD SINCE 1965 - FALL NEWSLETTER 2014 What is Cal in the Capital?
2014 CITC participants enjoy a Nationals baseball game.
A Letter from the 2014-2015 Directors 2014 was a landmark summer for the beautiful city of Washington, D.C. Midterm primary elections for Congressional races took place and were used to determine the fate of the Democratic and Republican parties. All eyes were on the Supreme Court as it dropped a landmark decision on women’s rights in the Hobby Lobby case. The issue of immigration jumped to top priority as migrant families crossed the border to escape from their home countries. CITC interns were head-deep in these issues, monitoring them at their internships in prestigious locations including Congressional offices, government agencies, NGOs, think tanks, museums, newsrooms, private companies, and much more. Interns took full advantage of their time in D.C., networking with Cal Alumni mentors in the area and attending an annual BBQ hosted by Dr. Michael McGinnis at his beautiful home. CITC continues to leave its legacy in D.C. as several participants accept full-time jobs in the city. With your continued support, we can keep strengthening the Cal community in the capital and make D.C. Bear Territory. Please read our newsletter and check out our website for updates on the program’s goals, its impact on students, and ways to get involved. Go Bears! Paras Shah
Alumni & Employer Outreach
Urvashi Malhotra Academics & Events
Therese Salazar
Recruitment & Marketing
Cal in the Capital is a student-run internship program housed at the UC Berkeley Public Service Center. Founded in 1965, Cal in the Capital prepares over 75 UC Berkeley students for challenging summer internships in Washington D.C. each year from early June through the middle of August. Cal in the Capital interns are in demand across Washington D.C., in Congressional offices, federal agencies, think tanks, nonprofits, private corporations, government agencies, and research institutions.
Cal in the Capital’s 50th Anniversary Fall 2015, more information to come! IN THIS ISSUE:
Student Experiences Meet the Directors Stating the Case for CITC
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Your support makes this program possible. Give to Cal in the Capital here To date, over
3,675
CITC interns have performed more than
1,470,000
hours of service!
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STUDENT EXPERIENCES IN D.C. Makiyah Ruggieri-Vesey, Code of Support Foundation
Code of Support Foundation is a very small non-profit organization devoted to military family and veteran support. Our organization teaches civilians the sacrifices our service members, their families, and veterans make- all of this inspires me to want to give back to them. I may not be personally involved in the military or veteran sector later in life, but I now know more about this walk of life and will continue to be an advocate for our heroes abroad and at home. I cannot describe how rewarding it is when your boss asking you to work for them again next summer. I was pleasantly surprised when she told me she would love to have me back the following year. This compliment is a confirmation of the dedication and hard work I have put into my job and this organization since I have arrived. Each day, I try to work even harder than the day before by creating more interesting posts and tweets, and always striving to push my limits. I want to be completely happy and responsible for the work that I put out, and I am confident in what I have done thus far.
Mischa Fritz, United States Treasury
“This summer I have learned more about myself and gained invaluable work experience in the federal government. I am also incredibly grateful for the friendships I have formed during this program. Cal in the Capital is definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made.”
Joanne Chua, USAID
“A Golden Bear’s spirit gives back to its community.” Although I’ve made that quote up on the fly, it’s something that I’ve definitely noticed in my time here in D.C. Not only have I met alumni from CITC, but I have also met them in both my fellowship and internship in USAID. This may be a little exaggerated to say, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a Golden Bear in every single nook and cranny of the Capital! And each and every one that I’ve met has taken the time out of their busy lives to guide and advise me, whether it’s through simple e-mails/phone calls, or over lunch. My saying this doesn’t hold much weight unless you meet a Cal alumni yourself, but hopefully my experience is convincing enough. If you’ve applied for CITC, or UCDC, you would have probably experienced the dreaded, gut-churning feeling of waiting on whether you will get accepted into an internship or not, especially one that interested you. (Add on top of this having to study for finals or finishing up your extracurricular activities.) However, I was fortunate enough to be advised by a fellow Cal alumni in my fellowship—as soon as he had found out I was a Golden Bear, he took no hesitation in helping me get placed in an area that I am interested in (international relations). In my internship itself, I’ve personally met two alumni in my bureau. One took me out to lunch, where she advised me what things I should do in D.C., and how to get settled down in my workplace. The other, who graduated in 1981, I had met in a meeting—I was introducing myself when I suddenly heard, “GO BEARS!” Afterwards, she came up to me with her business card and we delved into a very interesting discussion about what her work entailed, and how she got in to the public sector.
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MEET THE 2014-2015 DIRECTORS Paras Shah
Therese Salazar
Alumni and Employer Outreach Director
Recruitment and Marketing Director
Paras Shah is a fourth year undergraduate studying History and Political Science with an emphasis in American Politics. Last summer he interned with the Disability Rights Section in the United States Department of Justice. He assisted the Justice Department with ADA enforcement actions, including drafting research memoranda, preparing for trial litigation, and reviewing public comments for agency rules. After graduation, Paras intends to obtain a law degree and work in antidiscrimination policy, human rights advocacy, and public service.
Urvashi Malhotra
Therese Salazar began her collegiate career as a junior transfer student and is now a fourth year undergraduate studying Legal Studies. Last summer she interned at the National Women’s Law Center with the Family Economic Security Team. She was responsible for writing multiple blog posts on a variety of subjects affecting America’s families as well as conducting research and outreach for income tax credits for families. She also assisted with graphic brainstorm and design for both tax credits outreach as well as early childhood learning and development. Upon graduation, Therese hopes to become a Paralegal in order to gain experience in the field before applying to law schools. She one day hopes to work in Family Law or Social Work.
Academic and Events Director
Urvashi Malhotra is a third year Political Science major and Public Policy minor from Sunnyvale, California in the South Bay Area. In Summer 2013, she was a Judiciary intern for United States Senator Dianne Feinstein in her Washington, D.C office. Urvashi focused her policy research on immigration, education, and healthcare issues. Having had this incredible experience, she definitely hopes to someday work as a Legislative Aid for domestic policy in a Congressional office, one day even running to be a Congresswoman herself. Some of her favorite D.C. memories included having a barbecue lunch at Senator Feinstein’s beautiful home and going salsa dancing with her co-workers at the Kennedy Center.
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STATING THE CASE FOR CITC What are employers saying about CITC interns? “She brought ideas and energy to our team and came up with creative ways to solve problems.”
“In a very short time, I came to rely upon her for her resourcefulness, initiative, tact, discretion, and integrity.” “In short, he met and exceeded all expectations.” “Her unique graphic design and creative skills were an extra bonus that we utilized for our work. She was respectful yet not intimidated to contribute to project meetings and presentations.” How can you support an intern? • Contribute to the Cal in the Capital Endowment ($10,000) • Sponsor one student for the entire summer ($5,000) • Cover one student’s summer housing expenses at the Washington Center ($3,000) • Contribute to the CITC Alumni Scholarship Fund (any amount) • Support our general programming (any amount) Annual Fundraising Need: $200,000
Contact Contact Us Us The UC Berkeley Public Service Center connects ideas, resources, and people to act for social justice, build healthy communities, and foster life-long commitments to public service.
UC Berkeley Public Service Center University of California, Berkeley 102 Sproul Hall, MC 2430 Berkeley, CA 94720 publicservice.berkeley.edu/citc calinthecapital@gmail.com
The Financial Facts: • It now costs each student over $4000 for the summer, just to pay for housing at the UCDC Washington Center, travel to DC, and basic living expenses. • Very few internships are paid and spending a summer in DC becomes a large financial burden for the majority of students
Cal in the Capital is the result of an ongoing collaboration between alumni, students, and other members of the community. This year, we are placing an emphasis on strengthening the ties of Experiential and Reflective Learning, a Public Service Center Core Value, that keep this program running. Our goals include: • Expand the Alumni mentorship program established during summer 2013. • Strengthen Alumni participation via events such as Alumni panels and the mentorship program, and leverage their wisdom by inviting guest speakers to the DeCal course. • Increase the number of scholarships to ensure access for students of all financial backgrounds. • Empower students to know that they can make a difference during their time in D.C. and encouraging both an ethical approach and collaboration with local communities.
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