Meet the Congressional App Challenge’s 2021 Summer Interns
This summer we are pleased to welcome three new interns to the Congressional App Challenge team: Amanda Khodabash as the Congressional Communications Intern, Anjali Venkatesh as the Congressional Affairs and Outreach Intern, and Julie de Vaulx as the Congressional Affairs Intern!
Amanda, Anjai, and Julie are students at UC Berkeley who discovered the App Challenge internship through the university’s Cal in the Capital program. Cal in the Capital is one of the most competitive programs at UC Berkeley, organizing a cohort of 75 students to Washington D.C. every summer to work in internships with a strong public service component. Due to the pandemic, the internship will be held remotely this year.
Amanda is a rising junior studying Political Science and Public Policy. Raised in Los Angeles, California, she has significant experience working as a journalist and researcher. Last summer, she published over 100 articles as an intern with Canyon News. At UC Berkeley, she also serves as a writer for the California section of the Berkeley Political Review, a Research Affiliate with the Interdisciplinary Research Group on Privacy, and a mentor for Project SMILE. Based on these experiences, Amanda hopes to pursue a career in law. In her free time, Amanda loves singing, acting, and cooking Persian food!
Anjali just graduated from Berkeley with a degree in Microbial Biology and a minor in Global Public Health. She is originally from Austin, Texas, where she first became interested in the world of education and policy during her time in debate. At Cal, she worked at the UC Berkeley Public Service Center for four years and served as the Community Partnerships Director for the Alternative Breaks program, where she engaged with students to address social justice issues on a deeper level. Anjali has been involved with a number of efforts to increase voter turnout and education. In her free time, Anjali loves to volunteer with refugees and at Animal Sanctuaries, go on hikes, and crochet.
Julie is a Political Science student at UC Berkeley. Her past professional experiences fostered her passion for politics and the law. This includes working on a campaign, getting involved in research on campus, and working with pre-law organizations. In the future, Julie hopes to go to law school to further pursue these passions. By working with the Internet Education Foundation and the Congressional App Challenge this summer, Julie hopes to continue working on issues she cares about in addition to helping students across the country reach their full STEM potential.