Miriam Torres Sanchez
MIRIAM TORRES SANCHEZ (she/her/hers) is a first year graduate student in the Masters of Urban and Regional Planning program at UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. As a returning Policy Fellow within the UCLA LPPI Research Department, Miriam is passionate about housing policy, economic development, and urban planning. During her time at LPPI, she has supported The Economic Recovery and Entrepreneurship Project (TEREP). Currently, she is working on a factsheet on self-employed Latinas in California to better understand this understudied population, their demographics, challenges, and economic contributions.
Born and raised in Northeast Los Angeles, Miriam experienced firsthand the consequences of poor decision-making, resulting in cultural displacement, housing unaffordability, lack of green spaces, and under provision of city services. While serving on the Los Angeles City Youth Council and the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council, she was able to influence policies that promote the economic and sustainable development of her neighborhood while also preserving its history and culture. For her academic achievement and leadership, Miriam was awarded the HOPE Latina Future History Make Award, the California Latino Legislative Caucus Scholarship, and was selected as a 2023 Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Program fellow at UC Berkeley.
Miriam is a first generation Latina, community organizer, a mother, and a proud daughter of Mexican immigrants.
