In keeping with our tradition of interviewing new team members, we asked our new Policy Intern, Hunter Collins, a few questions so that you all can get to know him him!
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hunter is currently attending the University of San Diego School of Law, where he expects to achieve a Juris Doctor in May 2023. As the Treasurer of the Environmental Law Society, Pride Law member, and San Diego County Bar Association member, Hunter hopes to create a lasting impact and amplify the voices of the underrepresented. He graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Arts and Letters in English, summa cum laude, and minor in Sustainability in May 2020.
Hunter is passionate about environmental protection and politics. As a Climate Change Action Advocate of the San Diego Audubon Society, Hunter hopes to improve the climate action plans for San Diego.
How did you become interested in Circulate San Diego?
Circulate San Diego promotes public transit and walkability, improving the health and safety of residents, tourists, animals, and our environment. Through more efficient methods and means of transportation, San Diego can greatly reduce our dependence on personal automobiles, reduce congestion and traffic, and develop San Diego in sustainable and environmentally friendly ways. Circulate San Diego offers a unique opportunity to better understand the interworking's of local government, as well as help create lasting, tangible results.
As someone born and raised here in San Diego, I desired the opportunity to give back to my community and help to improve it for generations to come.
What’s your most memorable facepalm moment? Or what is your biggest achievement to date? Choose one.
My biggest achievement is becoming the first member of my family to achieve a bachelor’s degree. Although difficult, the most challenging aspect was simultaneously working full-time to self-fund my education. Despite the many challenges and lack of energy, I was able to succeed at San Diego State University and attend law school at the University of San Diego. Despite the many warnings, I continued to work full-time as a project accountant during the entire first year of law school. That experience forced me to become better organized, multi-task efficiently, and most importantly, empathize and sympathize with people struggling to get ahead.
If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your mentor?
I admire Franklin D. Roosevelt. President Roosevelt established numerous progressive policies, such as the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA), and Public Works Administration (PWA), to help claw America out of the Great Depression. Additionally, President Roosevelt enacted the Social Security Act, aimed at providing economic security for the elderly and less fortunate. Lastly, he established the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as well as the Housing Act of 1937, which greatly improved the lives of working-class families. Through the presidencies of Franklin D. Roosevelt, America was able to become a powerhouse globally, protect priceless natural resources, rebuild America’s crumbling infrastructure, and help provide stability to working-class people.
