Undergraduate Advocacy on Capitol Hill: Student Experiences in the Scholars Transforming Though Undergraduate Research (STR) Program

Three students, Jessica Lacap, Karen Nateras Perez, Elizabeth Monterroso, and Communication Professor Dr. Qingwen Dong, participated in the national STR program this March 2025. The program is an opportunity for students to develop advocacy and communication skills to convey the importance of their undergraduate research to stakeholders (i.e., congressmen) through four online webinars and a final session in Washington, DC. 54 institutions from 22 states with a total of 61 campus representatives and 142 undergraduate research participated in this competitive program during 2024-2025. The webinar covered four topics: how research is used in policy, policy actors and actions, how to write an Op-ed, and how to write a policy brief. The D.C. trip was two days, the first being a seminar on connecting with policymakers and public interview skills. The second day was for students to meet their state senators and local representative(s). Meeting with aides of California Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, each undergraduate student introduced themselves and their research study to advocate for the importance of their topics and increased funding for research. After that, Elizabeth, Karen, and Jessica met with the aide of California Representative Josh Harder. Elizabeth emphasized her research on improving the ESL learning experience, Karen highlighted the need for publicizing homelessness resources, and Jessica stressed the importance of keeping Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within higher education. Together, the aide used their knowledge of local resources and Josh Harder’s priorities to develop solutions to solving these critical issues, which were then relayed to the Senator. The three students reflected on their experience with four themes emerging: The connection of research to real-world change, the Importance of learning advocacy in a shifting political landscape, preparation for the future, and the lasting impact of STR on professional development.