Blanca Estela Alba is a first-year graduate student in the Master of Public Policy program at UCLA. She is passionate about the intersection of law and public policy, specifically as they relate to immigrant rights and educational equity. Motivated by her lived experiences, Blanca is committed to advocating for immigration reform and hopes to pursue a J.D. in the near future to become an attorney to provide accessible legal services to her community in San Diego, CA.

Daniela Rocha Acosta is a sophomore attending the University of Southern California with a major in Law, History, and Culture. Her career aspirations include obtaining a J.D/PhD joint degree to combine interdisciplinary studies regarding the law and Latino history. She hopes to combine this work in the future to help the legal field become more equitable and just for underrepresented populations.

Aimee Benitez Aguirre (she/her/ella) is a senior double majoring in Public Affairs and International Development Studies. At UCLA, Aimee is the Co-Chair of Improving Dreams, Equity, and Access, a program aimed at benefiting UCLA’s sizable undocumented population, and is a 2023 Astin Community Engaged Research Scholar. As an activist born in Guatemala raised in Los Angeles’ Westlake MacArthur-Park neighborhood, she acutely understands how policy actions—or lack thereof—shape the life opportunities of thousands and is passionate about data-driven mobilization.

Marysol Ysaura Valdez is a first-generation college student, born and raised in the city of Fresno, California. She is an honors student at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and is double majoring in the disciplines of Ethnic Studies and Political Science. Marysol has a strong interest towards a career in policy, law, and governance and plans to strengthen her toolbox of knowledge to uplift communities in the County of San Diego and across the State of California.

Vanessa Leon-Gamez is a senior from the University of Denver studying Biological sciences with a double minor in Gender and Women’s Studies and Leadership. She is from the western slope of Colorado, making her aware of the unique health inequities rural communities face. She aims to have a career in public health to address health inequities for immigrant and rural communities.