Ruth Rodriguez, ’23

Ruth Rodriguez is a recent UCLA grad, holding a B.A. in Public Affairs with a minor in Labor Studies and a B.A. in Education & Social Transformation. As a Mexican-American scholar, and daughter of Mexican immigrants from Guanajuato, MX., graduating Summa Cum Laude from both the Luskin School of Public Affairs and the School of Education was only made possible because of community and her love for education.

Academically, Ruth is considering the pursuit of a Ph.D. to continue to add to her research on Mixed-Status families and the impact it has in the field of education. By merging lessons learned at home and institutions like UCLA, Carnegie Mellon University, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and Princeton University, she hopes to add to the creation of new knowledge.

Throughout her UCLA undergraduate career, Ruth wore various hats: student, intern, representative, undergraduate researcher, and even radio show host. Post UCLA, she is working to ensure that the coming generations have even more opportunities than her. Currently, Ruth serves as a UCLA Destination College Advising Corps Fellow at Crenshaw High School under the Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP). Ruth is working to ensure that with the power of knowledge and resources, students have the ability to make their dreams come true.

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 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.