Meet the Congressional App Challenge’s Summer 2022 Interns
This summer we are pleased to welcome three new interns to the Congressional App Challenge team: Kiarah Raglin as our Diversity & Inclusion intern, and Shealyn Massey and Kalysta Garland as Congressional Affairs Interns.
Shealyn and Kalysta 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. Kiarah, a student at the University of Kentucky, comes from the WilDCats at the Capitol program. This program provides an opportunity for interns to earn course credit and gain experience at the highest levels of government while living in the nation’s capital.
Kalysta is a rising senior at UC Berkeley majoring in Legal Studies and minoring in Public Policy. She is originally from Riverside, California, where she began her interest in congressional affairs as a District Office intern for Congressman Mark Takano. At Cal, she works as a Campus Ambassador with UC Berkeley Visitor & Parent Services, serving on the Leadership Team for the program. She has also been involved with on-campus research pertaining to social movements through the sociology department, student government campaign work with the Associated Students of the University of California, and the Cal ACLU Criminal Justice Committee. Next year, she is excited to lead the Cal in the Capital program as the Alumni and Employer Outreach Director. In the future, Kalysta hopes to work in education-focused non-profit organizations before pursuing a Master of Public Policy degree. In her free time, Kalysta enjoys reading, walking, and going to concerts.
Shealyn is a rising senior at UC Berkeley studying Legal Studies and Public Policy. Raised in Ventura, California, she has led student organizing and advocated for equitable education since high school, where her passion for education and policy initiated. At UC Berkeley, she conducts research with the Human Rights Centers and the Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality and Anti-discrimination Law to document and report human rights abuses, create and ensure equitable practices within the private sector, and assist with amicus briefs. She also is a student leader within Restorative Justice Center of UC Berkeley and helped lead the federal department of the ASUC’s External Affairs Vice President. In the future, she hopes to receive a Master of Public Policy degree and attend law school and continue advocating for equitable education, racial justice, and human rights. Outside of work, Shealyn enjoys hiking, reading, writing, traveling, and eating good food.
Kiarah is a rising junior majoring in Social Work and minoring in Political Science at the University of Kentucky. Born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, her background in social work and politics stemmed from her passion for advocacy, empowerment, and finding solutions to social issues present in underprivileged groups in this country. She was a part of the Leadership Development Living Program her freshman year and is currently the Signature Programs Intern for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center on campus in order to create and study programs to best help minority students. Politically, she enjoys being the Vice President of the College Democrats of UK, Senator for the College Democrats of Kentucky, Senator for the College of Social Work, and an elected member of the University Senate. Through these positions, Kiarah has facilitated civic empowerment and community service both on campus and outside of campus. She hopes to continue working for underserved communities of all kinds, and eventually translating her social work experience into a political career in the future. Outside of school and work, Kiarah enjoys video games, music, writing, and road trips.
The 2022 Congressional App Challenge launches on June 15th, 2022. Students can enter their original apps through November 1st, 2022. The link to register for this year’s App Challenge can be found here.