Leslie Alexa Ortiz
LESLIE A. ORTIZ is a third-year undergraduate at UCLA majoring in Public Affairs with minors in Chicana/o and Central American Studies. Passionate about migrant justice, civic engagement, and legal advocacy, she is committed to uplifting underrepresented communities through policy analysis, research, and public service.
Leslie currently serves as a Program Assistant Intern at The Civics Center, supporting high school voter registration nationwide. She previously interned at Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch, contributing to a policy report on trade and migration presented on Capitol Hill. Her legal experience includes interning at the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, where she managed case materials and reviewed body-cam footage. This summer, she will participate in the Monica Salinas Field Fellowship at the L.A. City Council District 1 office.
On campus, Leslie is Editor-in-Chief of the UCLA Latinx Pre-Law Association Law Journal, leading a team that publishes student legal scholarship. As a Bruin Undergraduate Research Scholar, she researches Latino/a policy issues in Los Angeles and has co-authored work on youth voting barriers presented to lawmakers in Sacramento.
Leslie is a proud first-generation college student and the daughter of immigrants from El Salvador and Mexico. Her drive is rooted in her family’s stories of migration, survival, and resilience. Raised in Los Angeles’s Echo Park neighborhood, she draws deep inspiration from the strength and perseverance of her immigrant community, which has profoundly shaped her educational journey and commitment to advocacy.
