Meet Our Interns
Our interns are always hard at work
Our interns’ 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.
Jennifer is a fourth year student at UC Berkeley studying Political Science with a minor in Public Policy. Growing up in Anaheim, CA she has seen and experienced the economic disparities among her community due to Prop 13’s influence on large corporations. Jennifer saw a vast majority of these disparities in housing, health, and public education. Attending public institutions from K-14, she experienced first hand the lack of opportunities, resources, staffing and overall care for schools. While attending UC Berkeley, Jennifer has made it a goal to support public education while being a part of the ASUC Transfer Representative Office. Outside of her educational endeavors she enjoys taking advantage of her time in the Bay Area by taking trips with friends to the city and trying new coffee shops.
Mariana is a third year student at UC Berkeley, majoring in Legal Studies and Social Welfare. Mariana was raised in Fortuna, CA, a smaller more rural community in which statewide policies significantly impacted her education. Mariana experienced how Proposition 13 played a significant role in limiting resources and access to equal educational opportunities as large corporations did not have to pay proportional property tax which limited the local revenue funds in which public schools rely upon.These early experiences have deepened her interest in examining how legal frameworks shape education and affect vulnerable communities. At UC Berkeley, Mariana has deepened this commitment through her work in the Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP), where she conducts research on child welfare systems. In her free time Mariana loves beach trips with her friends in the city and exploring new hiking trails.
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