Xalma M. Palomino
XALMA M. PALOMINO (she/her/ella) is a first-year graduate student in the Master of Public Policy program at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. An incoming fellow with the UCLA LPPI Research Department, she is passionate about uplifting underrepresented communities by focusing on political representation, voting rights, and educational access.
Prior to graduate school, Xalma was an activist and leader in the Latinx community at the University of Michigan, helping to shape inclusive policies for Latinx students and support for undocumented graduate students. Knowing the importance of national policy, she continued advocacy efforts through involvement with national organizations. She was a legislative intern with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and a Líderes Avanzando Fellow with UnidosUS. Xalma also interned at the Education Trust in Washington D.C. where she worked on P-12 policy efforts to diversify school leadership.
Xalma grew up in Detroit, Michigan, proudly raised by her Mexican immigrant mother and grandmother alongside her sister. She is a first-generation college graduate of the University of Michigan where she earned her B.A. in Political Science and Latina/o Studies.
