Directory

Samantha Baldelomar, a native of Riverside, California, is a sophomore-standing, first-year at the UC Riverside School of Public Policy. She has actively engaged in local politics, working on campaigns for Will Rollins for Congress and Angelo Farooq for State Senate. In addition, she is deeply connected to the Riverside community, interning for SBX Youth & Family Services through their service-oriented Connect program, and previously serving as her former Key Club Division’s Lieutenant Governor. Her exposure to community needs have contributed to her policy areas of interest, which include public health, rent regulation, and immigration. In high school, she was recognized with the Golden State Merit Award and by the President’s Education Award Program. Set to graduate in the Spring of 2028, Samantha intends to earn a Master of Public Policy and pursue higher education, with the goal of building a career in local government.

Ari Chung was raised in Cypress, California. She is on track to graduate with a B.A. in public policy within four years from the UC Riverside School of Public Policy. Her policy areas of interest include climate change and the environment, artificial intelligence, and international relations. Ari has served as an intern for AIME Kindset, creating products like candles with friendly, hidden messages and gardening kits to spread kindness and awareness about food deserts. Additionally, she has worked with a nonprofit organization called Minds Empowering Minds, where she grew the social media account to promote mental health awareness for students and teenagers. After graduation, Ari plans to pursue work in a government agency, the private sector, or a nonprofit organization, with hopes to travel and work with global organizations.  

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Sammie Burgess was raised in Murrieta, California. She is pursuing a B.A. in Public Policy at the University of California, Riverside, and expects to graduate in 2026. Passionate about advancing equity and justice, she focuses on two key policy areas: K–12 education and juvenile criminal justice. Her academic and professional interests center on addressing systemic barriers that limit access to quality education and developing policies that will prevent youth interaction with the justice system and create more supportive pathways for those who do. 
At UC Riverside, Sammie has served as a peer mentor, guiding students through course planning and academic resources. This experience strengthened her skills in leadership, communication, and student advocacy. Following graduation, she plans to pursue a Master of Public Policy to refine her expertise and prepare for a career dedicated to advancing evidence-based solutions in education and justice policy.

Liam Burley was born and raised in Aliso Viejo, Orange County, California. He is on a track to graduate within 4 years in Spring 2027 from the UC Riverside School of Public Policy. Liam takes a great interest in housing, environmental, and economic policy. After graduating, he plans to get his Masters in Public Policy through the BA/MPP program and then attend law school to become a lawyer and later pursue politics. He has worked with local politicians and candidates during the 2022 midterm elections. He helped all of his candidates get into office through canvassing for them and aiding in events. Liam also participated and won in the Winter 2024 Policy Debate on Homelessness.

Urban Cross is a Public Policy student at UC Riverside, expected to graduate in Spring 2025. Originally from Atascadero, California, he focuses on criminal justice reform, immigration, and public transportation. He has interned with the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce and worked as a lifeguard. His achievements include the SOCOMUN XXXII Outstanding Award in Model UN and the 2024 Monday Clubhouse Conservancy Fine Arts Award for photography. After earning his B.A., Urban plans to pursue a master’s in public policy, attend law school, and become a public defender or run for public office.

Lucía (Luz) De La Cueva is from Visalia, California. She is a first-year Master's in Public Policy student at UC Riverside. She graduated from California State University, Northridge in Spring 2024 with a B.A. in Gender and Women's Studies with a concentration in Social Work. She spent the last year as an Outdoor Education intern at the Clemmie Gill School of Science and Conservation (SCICON). There, she learned the importance of quality education access and the impacts of policies on communities. 
 

Kai Iwamoto was born and raised in San Jose, California. He is on track to graduate with a B.A. in public policy and a B.S. in business administration concentrating in marketing within two years in Spring 2027 from the UC Riverside School of Public Policy and School of Business. His policy areas of interest include economics, justice, climate change, and foreign relations.  He has previously interned for the Alliance for American Leadership and Nikkei Community Internship Program. In addition, he was a recipient of the SPP Anil and Gauri Scholarship and the SoB Collette and Gary Lee Scholarship. After graduation, he plans to attend law school and pursue a career in business law. 

Shivani Narang was born and raised in Los Angeles County, California. She is a first-year student in the School of Public Policy, entering as a sophomore. She graduated from Valencia High School (VHS); she was in the Medical Science Academy (MSA) Behavioral Health pathway, and the Media and Photography pathway. She was dually enrolled in the College of the Canyons. Shivani was part of the City of Santa Clarita Youth in Government Program. She was the President of the VHS Women Medical Empowerment Club. In addition, she served on many MSA leadership committees, e.g. Social Media, Event Planning, and Blood Drive Organization Committees. Shivani has been a Girl Scout for 11 years, and participated in many community service events. Through her leadership and volunteer experiences she developed an interest in public policy. She hopes to focus on health policy at UCR. Through the myriad of leadership and volunteer experiences, Shivani has learned the importance of listening to people, researching issues, and developing practical solutions that can be successfully implemented and sustained. She looks forward to advocating for vulnerable community members, and developing the skills to design and implement value-based community programs. 

Christian Salinas is a student at the UCR School of Public Policy of the graduating class of 2026. He is an Ecuadorian-American native to the South Bay area of Los Angeles. He has participated as a School Board Member for the Wiseburn Unified School District and co-led the Student Task Force organization in high school as a Communications Director. During his first year at UCR, Christian worked as a Youth Development Specialist at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Redlands. He would also attend School of Public Policy events such as luncheons and podiums with his mentor from the Peer Mentor Program. He also serves as a member of the Entrepreneurship group at UCR. Christian has also served an internship with the Office of Senator Ochoa Bogh. After graduation, Christian plans on attending law school.

Vir Sinha was born in Fremont, California, a suburb in the Bay Area. He is a sophomore standing student at the UC Riverside School of Public Policy and is looking forward to continuing his college education. While he is not fully set on any specific avenue of policy, he does have a strong passion for education policy. He worked closely with teachers to create presentations for his school district on how to improve student and teacher welfare in high schools. Additionally, he was a writer for his school newspaper, where he had the opportunity to meet and interview students, teachers, faculty, administration, and members of his local community. 

Carimel Valenzuela Ibarra was born in Pomona, California, and recently moved to Rialto. During her time in Pomona, she was actively involved in the city's community services department by volunteering for recreational activities and focusing her senior project on increasing civic engagement in teenagers by helping craft an event with teenage volunteers for a teenage audience. Carimel was asked to join the City of Pomona’s Youth Commission in 2022 and was soon elected chair to lead their meetings and facilitate conversations and planning for special community events while receiving presentations from city officials on the inner workings of a city. Because of Carimel’s enthusiasm for government and volunteerism, she was selected to be the American Legion Auxiliary's delegate in 2024 for California Girls State in Sacramento, where she was recognized by her Senators, Congresswomen, and the organization for her continued effort to be civically engaged in mock government elections, debates, campaigns, and discussions. Throughout all this, Carimel attended IPoly High School where she served as founder and president of Glee Club for two years, four years in the theatre department–both directing and acting– and was an IPoly Ambassador throughout those four years as well, hosting open houses and community events. 

Jaz Williams was born and raised in Rialto, California. He found his transformative years on the football field, where he learned discipline, resilience, and teamwork. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from La Sierra University with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. Shortly before he graduated, he founded the Inland Empire Legal Literacy Project, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering the residents of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties by writing articles that analyze policy, criminal justice, and immigration issues, while equipping our people with the tools necessary to assert their rights, influence change, and protect themselves & their families. Jaz seeks to blend compassion, service, and leadership to bridge the gap between complex policy and the understanding of how it affects his community. After graduation he will attend law school to practice law, expand his capacity to lead the organization, and build lasting change in the Inland Empire.