Capital Connect

Winter 2025 News, Updates, & Impact

A Message From Our Faculty Director

Welcome to the first edition of Capital Connect, UC Santa Barbara Capital Internship Program’s newsletter!

As alumni, donors and ambassadors for these programs, we are excited to launch Capital Connect, which will serve as a platform to share exciting program updates and impacts, recognize the generous contributions of our supporters, and explore ways for you to get involved. We believe that by fostering strong partnerships with our community, we can continue to enhance this transformative program and empower the next generation of leaders.

Sincerely,

Fabio Rambelli

Capital Internship Program Faculty Director
Professor of Religious Studies & East Asian Cultures

We invite you to participate in a brief survey to share your preferences for communication and engagement opportunities. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us tailor our outreach and create meaningful connections with our Capital Internship Program community.

Please take a couple of minutes to complete the survey here or via the button below:

• More than 35 years in the heart of DC — the UC Washington Center was launched in 1990 with UCSB, UC Davis, and UCLA.  Prior to 1990, the UCSB Capitol Hill program provided valuable internship experiences for students  
• 81 students participated in UCDC during the 2023-24 academic year
• 7 students headed north to partake in the UC Center Sacramento (UCCS) during the 2023-24 academic year
• 16 majors represented

Professors Lorraine McDonnell and her late husband, Stephen Weatherford, supported UC Santa Barbara's UCDC program for over 25 years. UCDC offers students the opportunity to gain practical experience in public service through internships and academic instruction in the nation’s capital. 

Lorraine and Stephen created the first donor-supported funds for UCDC, both current-use and endowed, and often engaged with students and alumni during their visits to Washington. Lorraine has continued their legacy by supporting scholarships that give students critical experience in Washington, helping shape their futures as policymakers and public leaders.

Join us online Thursday, April 10th for our annual UCSB Give Day to celebrate the Capital Internship Program! We look forward to rallying together to raise awareness and scholarship dollars for these transformative experiences that make the program available to all UC Santa Barbara students.

Reconnect with classmates, enjoy live music and special performances, attend a lecture, take a stroll down Del Playa, and relive some of your best memories with your Gaucho community.

Join the UCDC Alumni Trivia Team captained by Tom Jevens '87 at the first ever Gaucho Trivia Night on Friday night, and be sure to stop by the UCDC Booth at GauchoFest on Saturday.

“Participating in the UCDC program was one of the most rewarding experiences of my educational career and changed my life. This program has energized me to continue pursuing a career in education law and reform.”

- Emily Cardona ’24

Thank you!

To learn how you can leave your legacy through estate and planned gifts:

Questions or comments? Please reach out to:

John Lofthus '00, '10

Senior Director of Development, Student Academic Initiatives 

john.lofthus@ucsb.edu | 805.680.3924

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