This summer, six students from the Luskin School of Public Affairs participated in the inaugural cohort of the Monica Salinas Field Fellowship, a program of the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (LPPI) that translates classroom learning to local impact. The fellowship placed students at California legislative offices, leading advocacy organizations, and the Los Angeles City Council for the summer. 

The fellowship—which was funded in part by the Latina Futures, 2050 Lab—provides future policy leaders who are passionate about serving underrepresented communities with the chance to move beyond the classroom and into real-world policy settings. This summer, students worked side by side with community organizations and policymakers, helping gather and analyze data, support advocacy campaigns, and engage directly with residents to understand local needs. Their projects ranged from expanding access to housing and health care to promoting environmental justice and protecting workers’ rights.

“The most important lesson I learned is that communities can be effective problem-solvers,” said fellow Miriam Torres Sanchez, who spent the summer helping domestic workers and day laborers recover from wildfires through community-led efforts with the Instituto de Educación Popular del Sur de California (IDEPSCA).

“What stood out to me was realizing how much local government influences daily life,” said Leslie Alexa Ortiz, who worked at the offices of the Los Angeles City Council District 1. “I saw how policies touch people in ways most of us don’t even notice until we’re up close.”

Alejandro Antonio Diaz, who spent his fellowship in the office of California State Senator Sabrina Cervantes, added: “Policy can feel abstract in a classroom, but in the community it becomes real. Talking to constituents showed me how important visibility is—and how trust is built one conversation at a time.”

The fellowship honors Monica Salinas, a Los Angeles-based advocate for educational equity and civic empowerment in Latino communities, and an early supporter of LPPI. LPPI’s goal is to create a deeper pipeline of student leaders rooted in both policy strategy and on-the-ground community engagement. The Monica Salinas Field Fellowship joins the LPPI Policy Fellows Program in initiatives aimed at cultivating the next generation of policy leaders.