Alonso Gallegos Lee 

Congressional Intern, Presented by Comcast NBCUniversal 

Hometown: Folsom, California 

School: Seattle University 

Major: Philosophy; History 

Placement: Office of Rep. Luz Rivas 

Born and raised in the Greater Sacramento Valley, Alonso Lee is the son of a Mexican mother from Mazatlán, Sinaloa, and a Chicano father from Parlier, California, whose ancestry traces back to South China. His multicultural and bilingual upbringing sparked a deep passion for exploring diverse worldviews. Raised in the Jesuit social justice tradition, he developed a deep commitment to creating inclusive futures.  

Alonso is a Sullivan Scholar at Seattle University, majoring in Philosophy and History with University Honors. As a member of the nationally ranked Seattle University Ethics Bowl team, Alonso competes regionally and nationally on moral dilemmas in medicine, politics, art, and research. He has previously worked for the California Department of Water Resources in the Transportation and Administration division and served as a Summer Legal Assistant on a Northern California wildfire case.  

Most recently, Alonso spent his third year as a Benjamin A. Gilman Scholar at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, where he studied African political philosophy, isiXhosa, South African history, and post-graduate philosophy honors courses on the metaphysics of artificial intelligence and theories of reference. Outside the classroom, he participated in a conference on Southern African food security policy and completed conservation work in Kruger National Park, studying apartheid’s lingering effects on wildlife management and politics. South Africa has left a lasting moral imprint on his life.  

Alonso aims to take advantage of his time in Washington, DC as a CHCI Intern and gain practical experience in global energy and environmental policy, while advancing his goal of becoming an appellate attorney. He is dedicated to benefiting Latino communities, both now and in the future.