Born to Central American and Mexican migrants, Alex is committed to addressing inequities through behavioral health. He studied Psychology at Stanford University and abroad at the University of Oxford. As an advocate of community-led social change, Alex co-directed an Alternative Spring Break focused on Chicago’s grassroots movements. Through the National Alliance on Mental Illness, he organized the first virtual Advocacy Day, a platform connecting mental health advocates with California policymakers. He credits the Fontana Veterans Resource Center for galvanizing his interest in strategic partnerships across sectors. Through Coro, Alex aspires to further hone his advocacy skills for a career in public service. He enjoys singing competitions and creative writing.

Ashley received her undergraduate degrees in Geography and Society & Environment from UC Berkeley, where she focused on environmental justice and public policy. During college, Ashley researched affordable housing and public safety for current City of Berkeley Vice-Mayor Lori Droste and served on the Cal Band’s 2020 Executive Committee. Ashley collaborated with disabled band members to develop the organization’s first disability accommodations program. Before Coro, Ashley was a program manager for High Road Restaurants, working with owners to build a more equitable future for the restaurant industry. Ashley enjoys making mugs at her local ceramics studio and exploring Bay Area trails with her dog, Shiloh.

Ben Gurewitz is passionate about the intersection of politics, public policy, and education and is particularly interested in work focused on enabling success for students with learning disabilities (LD) through advocacy and strategy. Most recently, Ben was a Legislative Assistant at Rooster Public Strategies and Field Director for Myrna Melgar’s successful San Francisco supervisor campaign. Ben is the co-founder of the UC Davis chapter of Eye to Eye, an art-based mentoring program for students with LD. Ben is looking forward to combining his passion and skills as a Coro Fellow to continue making a difference in public policy. Ben is a native of San Francisco. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, playing golf, and watching the Giants.

Danielle graduated from St. Lawrence University with a B.A. in Government and Global Studies. During her time at St. Lawrence, she served as a Resident Advisor and Admissions Senior Fellow. She was also a Presidential Diversity Scholar and worked with various organizations at the university to address anti-racism and correct racial inequities in the college admissions process. Danielle is passionate about public policy and remedying social inequities in Black and Brown communities in her hometown of the Bay Area. She hopes to attend graduate school after her time in Coro and start her life’s work of bringing about positive change.

After graduating from UC Davis, Jessica began her career as a political consultant at a nonpartisan firm in the Bay Area, where she had the unique opportunity to advise candidates from across the ideological spectrum. Locally, she has championed campaigns supporting tuition-free college, increased government transparency, and the adoption of more renewable energy. Internationally, she has volunteered with nonprofits to support nonviolent freedom and democracy movements in challenging authoritarian political environments. Jessica enjoys spending time outdoors and can be found running, cycling, and camping in her free time.

At Haverford College, Margaret’s passion for sustainability led her to change Haverford’s student-run policy to uphold ESG investment and dorm waste standards and lead Haverford’s main environmental committee composed of students, faculty, and staff. Along with graduating with a B.A. in Environmental Studies, Margaret co-founded Bentbox, a reusable container return service aimed to reduce plastic consumption in communities near landfills, which won 3rd place in the 2020 B.PHL College Innovation PitchFest. She plans to become more involved in public affairs careers focused on alleviating environmental and social burdens on marginalized communities. Margaret enjoys cooking and learning about plants.

At UC Berkeley, Marissa’s personal experiences as a system-impacted and first-generation student led her to join social justice organizations such as The Suitcase Clinic, providing health and social services to the local homeless community. Reflecting on her struggles as a student, Marissa sought to help her peers by interning with Berkeley EOP and The Basic Needs Center to aid underrepresented students navigating academia and ensure their access to public benefits. Marissa also connected with the Central Valley Scholars and mentored youth from her community seeking higher education. Marissa hopes to become involved in criminal justice reform and social welfare policy.

Maya Love earned an M.S. in Applied Data Science and International Studies from Claremont Graduate University. In her extracurricular activities, Maya sought opportunities in challenging situations such as establishing various DEI frameworks in club leadership and negotiating a 9% budget increase with the Board of Trustees geared towards community service projects as Student Body President. She commits her technical skills to increasing the visual accessibility of social policies such as economic mobility, sports inequities, and housing. Maya works to fill the gaps between tech and government practices through data-driven policy in regards to representation, equity, and accessibility.

Originally from rural Eastern Washington State, Stephen spent his formative years raising pigs and figuring out how to entertain himself; needless to say, he’s an only child. At the University of Washington, Stephen opted to study Political Science and Spanish. Striving to accrue knowledge outside of the classroom, he interned for two Members of Congress and spent his entire junior year studying in Cádiz, Spain. After graduating, he worked as a Field Organizer and interned for a political strategy firm. Stephen hopes to attend law school in the coming years. He enjoys watching Jeopardy! and hiking with his Border Collies.

At UC Berkeley, Victoria’s passion for equity and inclusion led her to join and later serve as Chair of the Diversity Affairs Commission for the student government. Being a first-generation, low-income student of color, Victoria intimately understood some of the challenges she and her counterparts encountered transitioning to college. With her continued commitment to accessibility, accountability, and affordability, Victoria was elected as the first Latina President of the student body in the midst of the global pandemic. Inspired by her community’s resilience, she hopes to one day serve as the Governor of California. Victoria enjoys singing and crime podcasts.

Zach Manuel received his B.A. in political science from Morehouse College in 2020, with magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa honors. He became an avid debater and quiz bowl enthusiast, and competed on his school teams at a national level. In his summers, Zach engaged in the Pre-Law summer program at Howard Law, conducted political science research at UCSD, and interned under Dr. Judy White at the Riverside County Office of Education. Zach seeks to use his experiences to create and facilitate inclusive spaces that allow for diversity of thought to create action rooted in empathy, effectively unifying communities.