Jul
21
2021
The Power Up Internship Program launched in mid-June with a cohort of 20 outstanding youth leaders. More than 230 youth leaders ages 18-25 applied for the program and finalists were chosen for interviews based on their past activist and work experience, educational pursuits, background and life experience, and their expressed commitment to social change. Get to know our Summer 2021 Cohort here.
Among these incredible leaders there are 6 recent graduates. Join us in celebrating our graduating Class of 2021 Power Up Internship Program (PUIP) participants: Diego, Gabriella, JaVori, Karina, Oluwatobi and Roselie!
Diego A. Castro Gomez matched with Immigrants Rising. Immigrants Rising empowers undocumented young people to achieve educational and career goals through personal, institutional and policy transformation. Diego is supporting their digital communications department.
Diego is originally from El Salvador. He is a first-generation and transferred student at the University of California – Irvine majoring in Political Science and Chicanx Latinx Studies. Throughout his undergraduate career, he held numerous leadership positions and was involved with S.A.F.I.R.E. over three years advocating for undocumented student’s justice and equity.
He is excited to participate in this year’s Power Up Internship Program and grow as an agent of social change. His aspirations are to attend graduate school and continue researching how immigration impacts youth. In Diego’s free time, he enjoys exploring nature and breaking down movies and TV shows.
Gabriella Walker matched with People’s Action Homes Guarantee Campaign. The Homes Guarantee Campaign believes everyone living in the United States should have safe, accessible, sustainable, and permanently affordable housing. Gabriella is supporting the Homes Guarantee Campaign’s research efforts.
Gabriella is a recent graduate of Wagner College, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Gabriella is now living in New Jersey, and hopes to continue working in urban sustainability and public policy in the future. Gabriella is thrilled to do so with the Homes Guarantee Campaign with People’s Action through the Power Up Internship Program.
Karina González Rosales matched with Restaurant Opportunities Center of D.C. (ROC-DC). ROC-DC’s mission is to build power with restaurant workers across the DMV to win improved wages and thriving working conditions for all. They seek to build a more just and equitable restaurant industry for all workers in the DMV. Karina is working on the Cancel Rent and Excluded Worker campaign.
Karina is a Chancellor’s Associates Scholar Alumna for the University of California San Diego where she majored in Sociology/Law & Society and minored in Human Rights. She recently graduated this spring with High Honors and became the first in her family to graduate from college. As a transfer student, she dedicated her limited time to advocating for social justice in several ways across her school. Karina served as one of the board members for “Tritons for Human Rights”, an on-campus student-led organization. She was also part of a ‘Scholars at Risk’ seminar dedicated at helping Professor Saibaba and collaborated with other classmates to collectively publish a book, Solidarity Not Sympathy: Art and Testimonials for G.N. Saibaba and his Activism for the Adivasi Movement. She hopes to attend law school in the future and work in the public interest sector and is very excited to be part of this amazing cohort!
Oluwatobi Emmanuella Maeyen Gloria Odugunwa matched with The Fund for Community Reparations for Autistic People of Color’s Interdependence, Survival, & Empowerment. The Fund practices redistributive justice and mutual aid by returning and sharing money directly to and with autistic people of color. Oluwatobi is building and expanding The Fund’s digital media presence.
Oluwatobi is a recent college graduate who currently works as an anti-bias reviewer and editor at a publishing company. As a multiply marginalized person, they have been involved in social justice work since a young age, focusing on racial justice, disability justice, and justice for LGBTQ people. Oluwatobi was most recently a student advocate and organizer, and they are currently transitioning to community, mutual aid work in their local Nashville community. They spend most of their days playing with their cat, listening to indie rock, knitting, playing video games, or reading (sometimes all at the same time).
Roselie Agulto matched with LatinasRepresent. LatinasRepresent is an initiative led by the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda to increase Latina participation throughout the civic engagement continuum, inspire more Latinas to seek public service opportunities and create a more reflective democracy. Roselie is working on a variety of projects for LatinasRepresent, including attending events, writing memos, and supporting social media efforts.
Roselie Agulto is a graduating senior majoring in public health at Portland State University. Prior to her time in Oregon, she was born and raised on the island of Saipan where she received her Associates Degree in Business. Currently, she is an undergrad research assistant supporting the outreach and referral of community resources for Medicaid/Medicare patients. She has also been a member of other leadership programs which have given her the opportunity to engage within the Portland community and the university through service. Her interest in health equity combined with the commitment to serve underrepresented communities is a lifelong purpose that she is passionate about pursuing in the future. As a Power Up intern, Roselie hopes that the program will be a bridge towards cultivating the invaluable skills needed to achieve her goals and help communities in need.
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