Owen Knapper Jr. is a University of California, Berkeley student, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in
Political Science with the hopes of minoring in Ethnic Studies. He is originally from Los Angeles, California but spent his adolescent years in Rialto, California.

Owen’s involvement in his community throughout high school sparked his interest in pursuing a
political science degree, from volunteering on Mayoral Deborah Robertson’s 2020 campaign to
working as a public policy intern alongside myriad nonprofit organizations giving back to
communities on a local, national, and global scale. Owen has discovered a passion for advocating for individuals from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, races, and ethnicities, and he has enjoyed it every step of the way.

In the summer of 2022, Owen had the incredible opportunity to work alongside Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber (D-San Diego) and the Fortune School of Education as a public policy intern through the BLU Educational Foundation. On Bill AB-2774, he advocated for African American students in K-12 to receive more funding as they were one of the lowest-performing subgroups, with 67% failing to meet English Language Arts Standards and another 79% failing to meet Math Standards. From this experience, Owen analyzed how important it was to study and understand the process of legislation and the law. He witnessed how understanding the law and its policy could be utilized to execute change that can develop an intersectional democracy incorporating others for the greater good.

As Owen pursues his undergraduate studies, he plans to expand his understanding and knowledge of social concerns, social movements, youth advocacy, racial inequality, and democracy, as well as create lifelong relationships and remain encouraged to make a difference in communities.