Meet Our Interns
Our interns are always hard at work
Alex, Lynda, Marlenne, and Natalie’s own experiences with education fuel their passion to fully fund California public schools. They are an integral part of our campaign. They’re spending their spring conducting research on California’s education crisis, creating content for Evolve’s social media platforms, and directly engaging the public through one-on-one conversations, and so much more.
Alex Cullins, Campaign Intern: Alex is currently a junior at the University of San Francisco double majoring in Politics and Environmental studies, and minoring in Public Policy. Previously living in the nation's capital, the current effects of the Trump administration have hit Alex close to home. Alex believes in defending and upholding democratic institutions, the most important of which being public education, which is under fire from the current administration. Alex knows the best way to preserve institutions is community organizing through local politics and nonprofit work in which she engages in as much as possible. In her free time, Alex enjoys hiking, trying new restaurants and sewing.
Lynda Otero, Campaign Intern: Lynda is currently a third-year student at UC Berkeley studying Political Science. She’s apart of many communities on campus: the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), the Latine Pre-Law Society, NAVCAL, and the Public Service Center. Though these organizations differ from each other, they all share the same objectives of building community, professional development, and giving back to the Bay Area. From her experience working with school boards, volunteering at the Public Service Center, and her own journey in public education, she was drawn to work with organizations advocating for the fully funding and expansion of public education. During her internship at Evolve, Lynda aims to explore pathways for the growth of equitable education and resources to make education effective for more students. In her free time she enjoys crocheting, hiking, and experimenting with film photography.
Marlenne Perez, Campaign Intern: Marlenne is a rising senior at UC Berkeley majoring in Social Welfare with a concentration in Education and Chicanx Studies. She grew up in the Inland Empire, specifically Moreno Valley, where she started her educational journey. During her time at UC Berkeley she has facilitated an undergraduate course called NAVCAL, which through near-peer mentorship, helps support underrepresented students throughout their journeys at Berkeley. Her experience in NAVCAL inspired her to create a program with the support of the Public Service Center called RootED, aimed to aid marginalized California high school seniors with their University of California applications. Marlenne is passionate about getting marginalized students to college to keep retention and representation in the higher education environment. In the future, Marlenne hopes to create even more retention programs for marginalized students and support them through all phases of their academic journey in order to create a just and equitable educational system for all students. In her free time Marlenne likes to listen to music, sit in nature, and collect vintage pocketbooks.
Natalie Ayelen, Campaign Intern: Natalie is a recent UC Berkeley graduate, majoring in Ethnic Studies and Education. Born and raised in Hayward, Natalie has worked in various K-12 after-school programs in the East Bay under non-profit organizations like Safe Passages, the Boys & Girls Club of San Leandro, and Bay Area community resources as an Expanded Learning Instructor. Natalie’s experiences in working with Black and Brown youth has shaped her worldview on equity and accessibility by witnessing first hand how funding disparities impact students’ quality of education and resources within the East Bay. Natalie is passionate about advocating for increased funding for public schools as well as providing more equitable resources for Black and Brown youth within education. In her free time, Natalie likes going to the beach, spending time with her friends/family, and hiking.
Past Intern Testimonials
Hear from some of our past interns what the Campaign Internship gave to them!
“The advice I would give is to come ready and willing to learn. It’s okay if you don’t know everything. That’s why you're here, and you're in good hands.”
— Jennifer
“I’ve said it a million times before, but I ALWAYS BRAG about the Evolve team. For my first time in a non-profit organization I got to learn the skills and strengths to be a leader and stronger writer, as well as plan and coordinate how to mobilize the community.” — Neftaly
“I truly value the trust and agency that I was granted as an intern. I felt like I was very much trusted to follow through with my ideas and to take on projects independently. This level of trust was not only empowering but also gave me a sense of responsibility and accountability.”
— Tran
“I learned to be more confident in myself, my public speaking and my passion for education equity; I was also able to engage and learn about local bay area issues.”
— Tania S.
“The thing that I value the most specifically about Evolve is the sheer, unparalleled dedication to serving the needs of our youth and schools. It’s quite rare to find an organization that actually has such a laser focus on education and doesn’t just list education to look ‘good’.”
— Davina
“I loved and valued our socials and lunch as a group. I loved that they were all interested in what our lives look like and showed interest in growing our professional development. ”
— Dani
“The people are awesome and care about your success, so allow yourself to make mistakes and ask questions. It is the best place to fail and try again.”
— Arin
“Do not fear the unknown. As cliche as this sounds, often, I find myself not giving something a try because I do not know what to expect, I do not have experience, or I am nervous about not getting it right the first time around. However, interning at Evolve CA has made me realize it is the opposite.”
— Ciara
“As for skills, I overcame my fear of public speaking and self-advocacy, things that I think are really important for people that come from the same background as me.”
— Tania N.
“I also love how I actually felt like a part of the team. From socials to check-ins, Ben, Maddie, and Emily were always so welcoming. I didn’t feel like an intern who just does coffee runs or gets talked down to as in some of my other internships.”
— Hafsah
“I value the optimism of Evolve most of all. The organization has kept fighting and keeps putting out messaging even though the next election is a while away. You all have taught me that politics is a long game and loss can be encouraging so long as we learn from it!”
— Reva
“This internship challenged me. I gained a stronger understanding of my state and that our lack of resources for public schools is not normal.”
— Nathan
“My time at Evolve allowed me to learn the ins and outs of working for a grassroots organization and the tactics that are crucial to building a movement”
— Annelisse