Hermona Yared

Growing up in the Bay Area, Hermona's interest in politics and policy heightened in 2020. That moment sparked a lasting curiosity about the criminal justice system and the social policies that shape it, one she carried into her undergraduate studies at UC Riverside, where she earned a BA in Public Policy. Building on this interest, she gained hands-on experience interning across all three levels of government, while also pursuing research on the effects of the criminal justice system. Along the way, she found it fascinating to see how policy takes shape differently at the local, state, and federal levels, each offering its own lens on how government serves communities. Hermona went on to pursue a Master of Public Policy at UC Riverside to sharpen the quantitative side of her policy interests. Intrigued by the legal side of policy, she continued her education to pursue a Master of Legal Studies at UCLA, using legal analysis to build on her public policy background and authoring a piece examining the application of qualified immunity to federal immigration agents. Most recently, Hermona experienced campaign life firsthand as an Organizing Intern on Xavier Becerra's gubernatorial campaign, contributing to voter communications and outreach strategy. She's excited to carry that same curiosity into her next chapter, eager to keep learning and growing as a Social Policy Fellow at Third Way.