Arianah Rizzo ’24

Arianah Rizzo is a Senior at UCLA, pursuing a major in Political Science with a minor in Community Engagement and Social Change. Arianah will continue her Policy Fellowship with the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI) supporting the Programs/Leadership Department. In the fall, she will be a Policy Intern for the Council for Court Excellence as part of the Quarter in Washington, DC program.

While at UCLA, Arianah has dedicated much of her time to working with organizations that prioritize the empowerment of underserved communities. As a JusticeCorps student member, she saw how complex and difficult the legal system is for self-represented litigants. She joined the Judicial Council of the California Governmental Affairs Office in Sacramento as a summer intern, where she contributed to legislative research and gained insight on how to effectively enact policy that advances access to justice for all. Arianah held a two-year role with Freedom For Immigrants on the Direct Advocacy Team. She worked in collaboration with medical professionals, attorneys, visitation groups, FFI staff and reporters to write advocacy letters and create a safety plan for callers in detention facilities. Previously, Arianah served as a Civic Engagement intern for Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE), where she helped execute major events to connect professional and student leaders with elected officials and advocate for public policy reforms affecting Latinas.

Arianah spent the summer working towards her law school goals as a PreProBono Fellow. She is also a student ambassador for the LegaGist, serving to demystify the process of applying to law school and becoming an attorney by providing affordable resources and pre-law guides.

Arianah is honored and grateful to be an Ehrlich Scholar. She is thrilled to be a part of the support system of incredible women and the network that the Ehrlich scholarship awards its recipients. This scholarship is paving the way for transformative leaders, and she knows that the support of the Ehrlich Scholarship will be fundamental in achieving her goals. Arianah hopes to contribute to the legacy of the Ehrlich scholarships and all that it represents.