Back to the Start Intern Spotlight: Meet the Summer 2026 Interns

This is the second year of our full-time summer internship program, and we welcomed eight exceptional young leaders who came to learn and work together to rewrite the narrative. From policy advocacy to writing grants to working with our incarcerated participants and co-leads, each of our interns brings their unique skills and perspectives to the table. They are committed to challenging the cradle-to-prison pipeline, and we are honored to be part of their journey as justice advocates.

Sydni Stewart is a second year medical student at the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program. Her work with Back to the Start centers funding and grants as well as key performance indicator analysis.

Colina Harvey is a rising junior at UC Davis studying Economics with an emphasis in policy and Sociology with an emphasis in law and society. Colina’s work focuses on tracking and organizing both the stories and logistics of our writing workshop at San Quentin.

Jennifer Gonzalez is a rising senior at UC Davis studying Political Science - Public Service as well as minors in Spanish & Chicanx Studies. Jennifer is currently in the process of reading and archiving all of the stories written by our third workshop cohort.  

Abhishek Rao is a rising junior at UC Davis studying Political Science and Philosophy. Throughout summer, Abhishek has been hard at work creating our coalition map, a program which outlines organizations doing justice work in California, organized by sector. 

Aly Francisco is a rising senior at UC Davis studying Applied Chemistry - Forensics and Sociology with an emphasis in law and society. Aly’s work with Back to the Start focuses on social media and communications.

Dharaa Upadhyaya is a dual degree medical student earning her Master’s in Public Health in Criminal Justice in Health and medical degree from Touro University of California.

Amani Williams is a rising senior at Oakwood University and is studying Spanish and Public Policy.

To hear more about Dharaa and Amani's experiences at Back to the Start, read their blog post here.

Angeline Do is a returning summer intern from UC Berkeley earning a degree in English.