Monika Lee, photo by Scott Duncan PhotographyMonika Lee’s story showcases many of the possible avenues for creating meaningful change in Sacramento. In her five years in the community, Lee has moved up the ranks in three different organizations and worked with a variety of issue areas, letting her passion for equity guide her along the way.
Kapri Walker, photo by Scott Duncan PhotographyBorn and raised in an exceptionally close family in sunny San Diego, Kapri Walker was initially hesitant to take the leap and begin building career roots in Sacramento. But our latest Capitol Weekly Rising Star couldn’t pass up the opportunity to return after her Capitol Fellowship position ended and she was offered a job as a legislative aide in Sen. Nancy Skinner’s office (D-Oakland).
Lucia Saldivar, photo by Scott Duncan PhotographyGrowing up in San Ysidro, just this side of the California-Mexico border, Lucia Saldivar thought she was going to be a musician, like her father. “Music always helped me make sense of the world and my community,” she says. “Then in high school, I learned a new language to help make sense of the world around me, and that was politics and policy.”
Cassidy Denny, image by Scott Duncan PhotographyCassidy Denny, Legislative Director to Senator Angelique Ashby, did not envision joining the policy world when she was recruited to Colorado State University to play volleyball as an undergraduate. It wasn’t until Denny learned about the policies behind slavery and other tragedies involving Black history on a learn and serve trip to Ghana that Denny realized that she wanted to pursue a career in justice.
Allison Lim, photo by Scott DuncanLim describes herself as a problem solver, a decision maker, and as someone who enjoys being intellectually challenged. She evaluates her career based on whether these attributes are encouraged and whether her opinions are respected. That, Allison said, is how she ended up working with Assemblymember Lee.
Michael Dyar, photo by Scott Duncan, Capitol WeeklyMichael Dyar, 28 is legislative director for Assemblymember Damon Connolly, D-San Rafael, where his duties include crafting legislative packages, overseeing co-author requests and training new staff.
Maya Polon, photo courtesy of Scott Duncan photography Maya Polon stays focused on making sure the public realizes how the legislation she champions affects real people. “What I really love getting to do is finding someone with an inspiring story and connecting a reporter to them.”
Sean Porter, photo by Scott Duncan PhotographyPorter, who is the legislative director for Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, D-Inglewood, enjoys negotiating with the governor’s office, working with sponsors and committees and planning how best to get legislation approved.
Chloe Bowman, photo by Scott Duncan PhotographyIn this highly polarized world, a young Republican legislative director believes it is still possible to rise above political differences.
Kimberly Sanchez photo by Scott DuncanThough Kimberly Yareni Sanchez grew up amid poverty and gang violence, she managed to graduate from college at age 19. Now just 21, she is an education policy analyst at NextGen, a nonprofit advocating for progressive policy.