Xalma M. Palomino
XALMA M. PALOMINO (she/her/ella) is a second-year graduate student in the Master of Public Policy program at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. A returning fellow with the UCLA LPPI Research Department, she is passionate about uplifting underrepresented communities by focusing on political representation, voting rights, and education access.
While at the UCLA LPPI, Xalma has worked on strengthening undocumented student support at UCLA and creating data briefs that focus on Latino voters in key states ahead of the 2024 election. Prior to graduate school, Xalma helped to shape inclusive policies for Latinx students and support for undocumented graduate students at the University of Michigan. Her experience also includes serving as a legislative intern with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, a Líderes Avanzando Fellow with UnidosUS, and interning at the Education Trust in Washington D.C.
Xalma grew up in Michigan, proudly raised by her immigrant family from Mexico. 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.
