Ruth Rodriguez, ’23

Ruth Rodriguez is a third-year Public Affairs and Education & Social Transformation double-major, as well as a Labor Studies minor. This summer, she served as a Family Reunification Program Intern with Al Otro Lado, a bi-national immigrant rights organization, working in collaboration with the Biden Task Force and ACLU to unite families separated under the Trump Administration. Ruth also serves as a mandated reporter and mediator in relation to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion policies within the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. With her commitment to public service, shaped by the experience of being the daughter of Mexican immigrants, Ruth is passionate about crafting legislation in the future to aid her community and ensure a more prosperous, equitable, and humane world.

Academically, Ruth is considering pursuing either a J.D. or Masters in Public Policy. With her experiences in Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College Public Service Weekend, being part of the winning Policy Hack-a-Thon team, as well as being selected to be a participant in Harvard Kennedy’s School of Government’s Public Policy Leadership Conference, she hopes to become involved in the creation of legislation that will make the lives of all people better, healthier, and happier.

Ruth feels incredibly lucky to be a recipient of the Norma J. Ehrlich Scholarship. She is awed by Norma J. Ehrlich’s work and impact, and she hopes to continue this impressive legacy through her own work. Ruth knows she is in excellent company with so many remarkable, strong, and influential women by her side.