Xochitl Lopez is a graduate student at UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs pursuing a Master's in Public Policy. Her policy concentrations surround immigration and education policy. Xochitl graduated from California Lutheran University with Bachelor degrees in Sociology and Spanish in May 2021. During her time as an undergraduate student, Xochitl became a McNair Scholar through the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program where she conducted original research entitled "Am I Latino?: Erased Indigenous Identities in Southern California." This research allowed Xochitl to find her passion in social and racial equality research. Xochitl has a deep commitment to serving her community, to which she attributes much of her success. Serving her community as a Youth Organizer at a local nonprofit organization in Oxnard, California inspired Xochitl to seek her MPP to show youth in her community si se puede, despite being a first-generation student, having a low-income background, and being the daughter of indigenous farmworkers. Upon completion of her MPP, Xochitl hopes to pursue a Ph.D. to reach her long-term goal of being an educator in her community.