METROPOLITAN EQUITY TEAM:
ERIN LAPEYROLERIE
Erin determined at a young age that she wanted to be an instrument in the struggle for greater socioeconomic mobility for racial minorities. After witnessing disparate treatment of black and brown students in high school (e.g. unequal access to AP, honors and college prep courses), Erin sought to understand the role of schools in perpetuating societal socioeconomic inequities. Erin studied economics at New College of Florida and took many opportunities to focus on the economics of education. After graduating, Erin worked to improve her research skills and gain exposure to different avenues to improve socioeconomic opportunities for marginalized populations.
During that time, Erin discovered the world of City Planning and became hooked on this pursuit as a method of social change. She started a Masters of City Planning program at UC Berkeley where her focus is in housing, community, and economic development. During the first year of her Masters program, Erin realized one more thing could help her become an effective advocate for minority communities: a mastery of the law. Now, in addition to her MCP, Erin is also earning her JD at UC Hastings. Erin wants to be a civil rights lawyer and has a strong interest in housing and employment.
ANDRES RAMOS
Andres is a law student at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, where he serves in student government as External Vice President. Prior to entering law school, Andres interned in Assemblymember Jim Cooper’s district office and worked as a substitute teacher. As a law student, Andres has interned in the California Attorney General’s office and clerked in the Office of General Counsel for AFSCME in Washington, DC. He is passionate about advocating for the needs of disadvantaged communities and has channeled that passion into political and civic activism, working on various candidate and issue campaigns in his local community. Andres received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from California State University, Sacramento.
KRISTINA SINCLAIR
Kristina Sinclair is a rising 2L at University of California, Berkeley. At Berkeley Law, Kristina is a member of Ecology Law Quarterly, Students for Environmental and Economic Justice, and Environmental Conservation Outreach. She is committed to making meaningful contributions to environmental justice efforts.
Prior to law school, Kristina studied political science, communications, and natural resource conservation at University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. From her studies and environmental justice research, Kristina grew passionate about advocating for the environmental needs of underserved communities.
KELSEY WALDRON
Kelsey has focused her work in law school on homelessness prevention, affordable housing preservation, and eviction defense. Last summer, Kelsey worked to preserve tenants’ housing with East Bay Community Law Center’s housing unit. Prior to Public Advocates, Kelsey also interned in the housing unit of the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia and on the grassroots organizing team at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless. Next year, Kelsey will participate in the Affordable Housing Transactions Clinic at Georgetown Law during her final year of law school. Kelsey grew up surfing in Southern California and completed her undergraduate work at California State University, Long Beach, in 2013.
EDUCATION TEAM:
AMANDA ALLEN
Amanda was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Louisville with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Communication. Amanda is a rising 2L at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, where she is the Co-founder and Co-director of Boalt on Break (a pro bono alternative service break program). She is also the Finance Chair of the Law Students of African Descent, a Co-Submissions Editor and Co-Articles Editor of the Berkeley Journal of African-American Law and Policy, and serves on the board of the Boalt Hall Women’s Association. During 1L year, she did pro bono work with the Foster Education Project and the Workers’ Rights Clinic. She was also named an Outstanding Attorney during the Bales Mock Trial Competition. To take a break from school, Amanda’s favorite activity is being a member of the Boalt Improv Group. The summer before law school, she interned at the United States Department of Education in the Office of the Under Secretary.
ANGELA BREINING
Angela is a rising 2L at UC Davis school of Law. She attended CSU Chico for undergrad where she majored in Latin American Studies and Legal Studies. Prior to law school, Angela was a Community Worker for California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc., a non-profit legal aid organization. During her 1L year, Angela was a Student Counselor for the Center for Worker’s Rights Clinic. This upcoming year, she will be the Co-Chair for La RAZA Law Student Association and the Co-Director for the Workers’ Right Clinic. In her free time, she enjoys watching Netflix and Hulu, and hanging out with her dog Ottis.
COMMUNICATIONS & DEVELOPMENT TEAM:
JAY FUCHS
Jay Fuchs is Public Advocates’ new communications intern. He is currently pursuing a B.A. in Communications at Santa Clara University. Prior to joining Public Advocates, Jay volunteered with a number of nonprofit organizations including NAMI and the Mental Health Client Action Network in Santa Cruz, California. He also worked with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee during this most recent election cycle.
Jay is very excited to be working with Public Advocates this summer. He is grateful to contribute to the organization’s mission and also and gain valuable experience in his chosen field of study.
LOUISE LYALL
Louise is currently a senior at the University of Wisconsin- Madison, where she is studying English and Political Science with the intention (probably) of going to law school. Originally from Portland, Maine (the real Portland!), she has been interested in politics and activism for years, starting with her dad taking her to help him campaign for Howard Dean in 2004. Since then, she has interned at the education non-profit the Telling Room in Portland, at the office of Wisconsin State House of Representatives Minority Leader Peter Barca, and for the Wisconsin Assembly Democrats Campaign Committee during the 2016 election season. At the University of Wisconsin, Louise works as a Undergraduate Writing Fellow, or a tutor for other undergraduate students, and as the Editor-in-Chief of the student run literary magazine, the Madison Review. In her spare time, Louise enjoys taking pictures of her food and spending time with her family.
ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM
VIOLETTE SWIDLER
Violette is a junior Political Studies major with a concentration in Latin American & Iberian Studies at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. She will be studying abroad in Quito, Ecuador in the fall to study Latin American politics and art, followed by a semester at the Bard Globalization & International Affairs program in New York City, where she will focus on international affairs through both her prospective internship and courses.
Violette hopes to create a less exploitative relationship between between the U.S. and Latin America by impacting and contributing to U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America. She aspires to a career in international law or immigration law. Currently, she is interested in criminal justice reform, education reform, immigrants’ rights and advancing intersectionality within social justice.
In her free time, Violette enjoys seeing live music, exploring her natural environment, trying new food, and gaining new perspectives from her everyday interactions.
