Yvan Monreal ’19 is ready to change the world.
In particular, immigration law is as important as it is personal to the political science major. Raised among relatives who had immigrated to this country, Monreal grew up well acquainted with the impacts that immigration laws have on families. That upbringing inspired him to get involved in politics—and as he prepares to graduate from Whittier College, he’s well equipped for it.
Between his sophomore and junior year, Monreal interned in Sen. Kamala Harris’ office in Washington D.C., where he teamed up with policy advisors and legislative aides, while also handling administrative duties. There, he took initiative to approach and work for one of Harris’ senior advisors, who worked under the Obama and Clinton administrations. During the prestigious internship, Monreal also met other powerful politicians, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, the late Sen. John McCain, and Sen. Orrin Hatch.
“It just felt good. I felt like I had accomplished something,” Monreal said. “My end goal is ultimately to apply to law school. I felt like that was a very good addition to my resume. The experience that I got working with Ivy League lawyers, as well, was helpful.”
After returning to Whittier, Monreal jumped right back into politics—this time, as vice president of the Associated Students of Whittier College (ASWC) Senate. The leadership role completely changed Monreal’s college experience.
During his first two years, the commuter student only stayed on campus long enough to attend class and play on the soccer team, without engaging beyond those necessities. But sitting across the table from student club member after student club member, and seeing the passion in their eyes for their groups, rubbed off on Monreal in a big way.
He felt inspired to join the political science honors club, Pi Sigma Alpha; became an on-campus writing tutor; and pledged to one of Whittier’s fraternal societies, the Orthogonians. When it comes to donning the black-and-yellow badge of the O’s, Monreal describes it as “the best decision I ever made, that I didn’t know I wanted to make.”
When he came to Whittier, he thought he knew what his on-campus “family” would be: the soccer team.
“When you come in, you’re like, ‘I have my one family and that’s all I need.’ But Whittier has a way of breaking you from that custom, that mind set,” Monreal said. “Here, there are so many people involved in so many different things, you’re inevitably going to join one other thing, or two, or three, or six.”
