Fellowship

Enumclaw, WA

Towa Nakano-Harris (she/her) is a proud Washingtonian, Husky, and over-ambitious young person. She self-describes as “sunny”, but is easily impassioned when it comes to engaging rural voters, promoting educational equity, and fighting for environmental justice. Towa’s goals for the summer are to get to know the campaign law landscape, learn to effectively (and aesthetically) organize online, find Seattle’s best matcha/hojicha lattes, and summit her first real mountain. Although she’s still figuring out what work-life balance means, she loves to relax by reading, gossiping with her sister, and hugging trees. Ask her about her Rush Limbaugh story! 

Olympia, WA

Tana Martin (she/her) is a recent WSU graduate with a BA in political science, with a focus on prelaw, at-risk youth, and criminal justice. Born in Tacoma and raised in Olympia, she is passionate about the experiences of those mistreated or harmed by the justice system, specifically youth going through the American immigration system and adults who have been unfairly punished or harmed by the state. This Summer, Tana is excited to see the other end of the world of public policy. With experience drafting and advocating for public policy with national nonprofits, she is eager to decompress and share information on current statewide policies in an accessible way for youth and those unfamiliar with Washington civics. Through this, she hopes to enable more people to feel more confident in engaging with issues that most impact them. She has a twin brother and has established her own sourdough starter.

Spokane, WA
Zipporah Ingram (She/Her) is a junior at Concordia University studying Political Science. She was born in Kenya but home sweet home is Spokane Wa where she found a love for community building. Growing up, Zipporah learned that trust and communication are the heartbeat of any thriving community and that belief fuels her passion for fighting misinformation. Whether it is through journalism, podcasting, or grassroots organising, she's all about empowering the global community with truth. When she has free time she loves to crochet, bake, and listen to SZA’s CTRL album. 

Kent, WA
Hassen Beynah (He/Him) is a recent graduate at UW (Tacoma), with a bachelor in law and policy and a minor in criminal justice. Hassen was born in Ethiopia and migrated to the US in 2011 with his family. He’s had 4 years of experience engaging with the community through nonprofits and has worked in the senate this past session. This year, he’ll start studying for his LSAT and mass apply to law schools but needs more experience with certain skills such as canvassing, campaigning, and civic engagement. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends, taking care of his plants, writing poetry, hiking, and recently started getting into love, death, and robots.

Auburn, WA
Jostin Cuenca (he/him) is a college student pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, with a focus on aviation. He was born in Ecuador and moved to the United States at the age of 10. Jostin loves learning new things and, as he grew up, he became aware of the many barriers around him. One of his main goals now is to stay informed and fight for what he believes in. He’s also excited to explore how political science and engineering can come together to make a positive impact on society. One of his favorite things to do is travel with his family, which includes his two little sisters, his mom, dad, and their pet Benji!

Tacoma, WA
Valeria Perez-Leyva (She/Her) is a junior at UW studying Law, Societies, and Justice and Informatics. Her roots are from Mexico City, but she was raised in Tacoma. She's passionate about immigrant advocacy and access to higher education. Civic engagement is important to her because she believes that educating youth on how politics work, how they affect them, and how to advocate for issues they care about is essential for uplifting and amplifying youth voices. This summer, Valeria is excited to develop her canvassing skills and be more engaged and educated on state politics. In her free time, she loves getting cute drinks and going to a view to watch the sunset. 

Lakewood, WA
Henry Jones is a 21 year old student from Lakewood, Washington. He studies Political Communications and Pre-Law at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts- where he just finished his Sophomore year. At school he is a part of the debate team and a senator in the student government. When he’s back home Henry likes to play basketball, hike, and stay in touch with the political scene in his community. This summer, Henry is excited to be a Summer Fellow with the Bus as well as managing a City Council campaign in Pierce County. His passions are delivering progressive policy change, and creating a better state that all Washingtonians call home.

Tacoma, WA

Seattle, WA
Kisaya canada (she/her) just recently graduated from Franklin high school in Seattle Washington and will be heading to Western Washington University in the fall to study political science. She was born and raised in South Seattle and is very passionate about providing social and political awareness to communities that may not have the tools and resources they need to educate themselves. This summer she is eager to face lots of rejection during phonebanking in order to get over her fear of rejection. Her biggest hobby since 8th grade has been making embroidery thread bracelets. She actually wrote her college essay about them!

Shoreline, WA
Katherine Haycox (She/Her) is a rising sophomore at Smith College in Massachusetts but is thrilled to be working back home in Seattle. Katherine has experienced first hand the sense of empowerment engaging in local civics provides and is honored to have the chance to share that with her peers. This summer, she is excited to grow her canvassing skills and make new connections across Washington State! When she's not working, you can find her hiking, sailing on lake union, or attending a local theater event. 

Renton, WA

Seattle, WA
Erin Phillips (she/her) is from Seattle, and recently graduated from Oregon State University with her Bachelor’s of Science in History and a minor in Political Science. She is passionate about social justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and electing progressive candidates in Seattle. This Summer, Erin is excited (and a little bit nervous) to learn more about how to develop field plans and strategy for canvassing. She spends her free time volunteering on local campaigns, cooking way too much curry, and playing Classic World of Warcraft.