Lilia Valdez (she/her)

Lilia is currently a PhD student at UCLA’s School of Education and Information Studies studying Race, Cultural, and Ethnic Studies. Her research explores the implementation of educational policies in American K-12 school systems and the ways in which historically marginalized communities, such as English Language Learners, are considered in policy implementation at the local level. Prior to her time at UCLA, Lilia attended Loyola University Chicago where she received her Juris Doctorate and master’s in Public Policy. Lilia has held positions as a Senior Policy Analyst with UCLA’s Academic Senate, a Research Assistant at the Civitas ChildLaw Center’s Legislation and Policy Clinic, an Extern with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) and a Law Clerk with the City of Chicago’s Law Department. Lilia was born and raised in Southern California, where she attended California Baptist University and received her Bachelors degree in English and Political Science.