My Last Advocacy Trip of Graduate School!

January 22, 2020

My fifth and final trip to Washington D.C. on behalf of the USC Graduate Student Government (GSG) was by far the most effective and organized hill visit I have experienced thus far. As a part of the National Association of Graduate and Professional Students’ (NAGPS) Fall Legislative Action Days, we visited the offices of five Californian congresspeople: Kamala Harris, Linda Sanchez, Tony Cardenas, Alan Lowenthal, and Karen Bass.

On our platform this year was protection for our undocumented peers, loan forgiveness for those pursuing careers in public service, the protection of Obama Era Title IX guidelines, and open access to research and education materials. For a majority of the meetings, we were able to share notes on legislation in both the House and the Senate and build connections for ground level advocacy work. Currently, we are exploring ways to educate our community members about the census in conjunction with Sanchez’s office, and hosting a Taco Tuesday regarding student loan debt reform with Bass’ office.

If you’re interested in how our state or federal government works or want to get involved with policy issues that impact our lives as graduate students, keep an eye out on applications for the next hill visit! For more information on the March NAGPS trip, you can reach out to our Director of External Affairs at gsgexaf@usc.edu.

Published on January 22nd, 2020

Last updated on April 1st, 2021


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