Coell and Madison Simmons are two of a kind - literally. The 21-year-old twins are
historymajors in the
School of Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts. Their grade-point averages only vary by a hair. They are also spending this semester together in Washington, D.C., as part of the UCDC program.
“The UC Washington Center is a multi-campus residential, instructional and research center that provides students and faculty from the University of California with opportunities to research, work, study and live within rich cultural, political and international heritage of our capital city,” the program’s Web site explains.
For the Simmons twins, the program offers the best of both worlds. Hailing from the small foothills town of Catheys Valley, about 30 minutes east of Merced, the young women were accustomed to a learning environment where they had close relationships with their teachers and peers.
“UC Merced’s small classes and close-knit community immediately made me feel comfortable and allowed me to interact with my professors in a manner unique to the University of California system,” Coell Simmons said.
The UCDC program has given the seniors the exchange-student experience they both wanted during their undergraduate years without feeling isolated.
“This was the first time we had lived away from home or outside of California, and the support and friendship from those here in D.C. has meant a great deal,” Madison Simmons said. “I have never felt as if I’m alone here in this big city; I’ve always known my campus is behind me.”
That connection has been important for both young women, especially as they have juggled the demands of a full plate of courses and full-time
internshipsin a major metropolitan city.
Coell is the sole intern in the office of Rep. George Radanovich (R-Mariposa). Radanovich represents the 19th Congressional District, which includes parts of Stanislaus, Madera and Fresno counties and all of Tuolumne and Mariposa counties.
“I’ve not only learned about issues affecting the U.S.,” she said, “but also my hometown. … The skills I’ve acquired will increase my competitiveness in
academicsand later on in the workplace as well.”
Madison interns in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Curator’s Office, which oversees the Court’s visitor programs and its collection of historical objects and artifacts.
“My position has given me the ability to see the American legal system through the eyes of our international guests,” she said. Some of those guests have included the chief justice of the Russian Supreme Court, judicial delegates from France and the Ukraine, and even the first female Egyptian judges.
“I am exposed daily important decisions that will affect this and future generations of Americans,” she said. “It’s an amazing feeling to be part of making history, and it has inspired me pursue the legal profession so I can play an even bigger role.”
Madison sums up the overall experience on behalf of her sister and herself by saying that she will leave Capitol Hill at the end of the semester with more confidence and knowledge than she ever expected to gain.
“For anyone considering
UCDC,do it,” she said. “It will change your life.”
