At age 5, freshman Mara Krauss stood in the middle of a crowded downtown Los Angeles protest, holding signs reading, “I am the future,” and “Treat everyone kindly.” Adults marched all around her, their tall figures and raised signs casting shadows over her. Even so, Krauss kept her sign held high and steady among the swarm of protesters. Now, she continues that same passion for speaking out by organizing legislative advocacy as an intern with the Jewish Center for Justice. 

In July 2025, Krauss began an internship at JCJ, an organization that engages young activists in leadership development, civic education and advocacy across a range of social justice issues. During the school year, JCJ’s teen cohort researches and proposes California bills they plan to support. The teen cohort meets every other week to plan advocacy strategies and prepare outreach materials. The following summer, members put these plans into action by promoting those bills and advocating again for those that did not pass the previous year. 

Krauss pushed for bills focused on women’s rights and combating antisemitism. She wrote phone-banking scripts to advocate for these bills and met with Governor Gavin Newsom’s staff in Sacramento to discuss these issues.

“I started doing work for JCJ at the start of eighth grade. At the end of eighth grade, we went to Sacramento to lobby for some of the bills that we thought were meaningful to us,” Krauss said. “After that experience, I felt really connected with the organization and wanted to continue to do work for them.” 

Krauss’ involvement with JCJ was encouraged by Rabbi Joel Thal Simonds, the founder of JCJ and Krauss’ rabbi. Before she arrived at JCJ, Krauss had already shown signs of becoming a young activist for social justice, Simonds said. 

“I’ve been to a number of protests with her, when she was 4 and 5 years old,” Simonds said. “I’ve seen her grow from a passionate kid to someone who has as much poise, responsibility and seriousness as a full-time advocate in the field.” 

Hadley Iorillo (‘29), one of Krauss’ close friends, described her as dedicated and always willing to help. She said Krauss’ energy and commitment shine in everything she does, from her work at JCJ to her support for her friends. 

“I can see her having a leadership role because she puts a lot of time and effort into it,” Iorillo said. “She is very helpful and resourceful, and I could see her exhibit that in the work she does there.”

The focal part of Krauss’ JCJ summer internship was their trip to Sacramento. The cohort spent the trip meeting with Governor Gavin Newsom’s staff to discuss the bills they had been advocating for throughout the school year. Simonds, who mentors the interns, advises them to speak up and engage directly with lawmakers.

“We say to the kids, ‘We want you to study the bills, but we want you to speak freely’ … and that’s what Mara did,” Simonds said. “She was on the assembly floor speaking with Assembly member Rebecca Bauer about women’s rights … and Governor Newsom’s chief of staff talking about antisemitism in schools.”

During Krauss’ internship, she phonebanked officials, crafted social media posts to spread awareness about JCJ’s mission and created legislative call-to-action alerts to share with her community. 

One of the main bills she worked on was SB 669, which aimed to improve maternity care in rural hospitals. This bill became especially urgent as federal funding cuts to Medicaid programs left people without coverage over the summer.

On July 4, 2025, H.R. 1, also known to many as “The Big Beautiful Bill,” was signed into law by President Donald Trump. H.R. 1 reduced funding in healthcare programs like Medi-Cal and cut state provider taxes that rural hospitals with Medi-Cal patients rely on. While the Senate created a $50 billion Rural Health Fund in response to backlash about the funding cuts, the measure did not address the long-term effects of H.R. 1. Concerned about these issues, Krauss and her team decided to promote SB 669, a bill aimed at easing the impact of the H.R. 1 cuts.

“It wasn’t a bill that was making headlines or anything, but it was still a bill that we all found really important,” Krauss said. 

By sharing the bill’s mission with the broader community, Krauss and her team helped SB 669 become law Oct. 11, 2025. While her work has impacted social justice concerns around California, these projects have also left a lasting impression on her. Krauss said she has learned how powerful a young person’s voice can be and that passion is the key to enacting meaningful change. 

“Even though we’re still students, and we’re still kids, and it’s not the biggest organization, we can still make a difference in the long run,” Krauss said. “You really can make change happen, especially for something that you care deeply about. So if you find whatever it is you care deeply about and you advocate for that issue, then you can get your point across, and change can be made.”