Meet the Cohort: Fellows Program in Public Affairs in Los Angeles

Araceli Lopez

Phoenix, AZ
B.S., Political Science; Minor in Spanish
Arizona State University
LinkedIn

Araceli is a first-generation college graduate from Arizona State University, where she studied Political Science. Her commitment to community and equitable access to opportunity has shaped her career in public policy and advocacy.

Most recently, Araceli served as a Legislative Liaison with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, working closely with agency leadership, the Governor’s Office, and the Arizona Legislature to analyze policy proposals and support legislative priorities. She previously gained legislative experience in the office of U.S. Senator Mark Kelly in Washington, D.C. As a Public Policy and International Affairs Fellow at Princeton University, Araceli further strengthened her skills in policy analysis, quantitative reasoning, and public leadership.

As a Coro Fellow, Araceli is eager to deepen her understanding of cross-sector leadership, build meaningful relationships with a diverse cohort of changemakers, and strengthen her ability to advance equitable policy solutions that create lasting impact in communities.

David Lawrence

Denver, CO
B.A., Political Science | George Washington University
M.A., Political Science | Columbia University
LinkedIn

Born and raised in Colorado, David is passionate about understanding political behavior and how it influences policy outcomes. At Columbia, he served as a teaching assistant and received an award from the NYAAPOR for his research on the relationship between community engagement and political intolerance. While attending George Washington University, he founded and led the university’s Pi Sigma Alpha chapter and worked as a research assistant in the political science department.

David has held internships with Senator Michael Bennet and Representative Joe Neguse, where he focused on energy and infrastructure policy while supporting office operations. As a Coro Fellow, he is excited to learn how leaders across Los Angeles build coalitions, solve problems, and serve their communities. In his free time, David enjoys playing tennis and exploring Los Angeles.

Emily Hettinger

Torrance, CA
B.S., Psychology; Certificate in Education Studies
Yale University
LinkedIn

Emily wants to dedicate her life’s work to the projects of democratic revival and prison abolition. Raised in Torrance by public school teachers, she was instilled with a value for public service from a young age. Her passion for prison work brought her to Yale University where she worked with the Yale Prison Education Initiative, which provides higher education to incarcerated students in Connecticut. She also served as an elected senator in student government and organized with Class Action, a coalition dedicated to re-orienting elite higher education toward the public good.

She spent her undergraduate summers immersing herself in prison abolition-oriented work in multiple sectors, including nonprofit, technology, education, and legal. She hopes to one day serve as a public defender and is eager to learn, through Coro, about how unions, public agencies, and nonprofit organizations can work together to advance dignity, freedom, and justice for all.

Gabriel Mitchell

Los Angeles, CA
B.A., Political Science | UCLA
LinkedIn

A third generation Angeleno, Gabriel believes in the importance of civil leadership to foster impactful governance. An avid walker, the personal exposure to diverse neighborhoods across the city inspired a deep interest in understanding and helping to fix the problems he observed. At UCLA, he was a founding member of the Interfaith Living Learning Community on campus. He interned with the nation’s largest non-profit provider of legal advocacy services for people with disabilities while studying in Washington, DC.

Meeting with representatives on Capitol Hill and attending policy briefings provided direct experience with policy-based advocacy. He studied global human rights governance in The Hague, and attended sessions of the International Criminal Court. As a certified mediator, he helps resolve federal and civil litigation cases. He looks forward to a future legal career, and especially to the opportunity of working with a cohort of equally passionate Coro Fellows.

Jasper Broad

Miami, FL
B.A., Political Studies & Public Policy
Pitzer College
LinkedIn

Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Jasper graduated with honors from Pitzer College in Political Studies and Public Policy while captaining his college’s soccer team. At Pitzer, he represented students through roles in the Student Senate and as Judicial Council Co-Chair, while also serving as a teaching assistant for Government Statistics. As Lab Manager for the Claremont McKenna Policy Lab, he helped oversee a project analyzing congressional pilot programs for a D.C.-based client. Working for his college’s chapter of Jumpstart Corps, Jasper supported students and teachers in under-resourced public schools in Claremont, strengthening an interest in K-12 education policy.

He would build on this interest through internships in the U.S. House of Representatives and at a D.C. education and workforce lobbying and political consulting firm. As a Coro Fellow, Jasper hopes to broaden his understanding of local government and education and labor policy in Los Angeles.

Jiorden Jaéana King

Inglewood, CA
B.A., Psychology; Minor in Education | UCLA
LinkedIn

Jiorden was born and raised in Inglewood, California, a community that shaped her commitment to expanding access and opportunity for underserved students. She graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Education. At UCLA’s Community Programs Office, she managed a $1.4 million budget across seven community-based education programs and led a $1.3 million referendum proposal to expand basic needs and student support. She worked with senior university leaders to push for greater investment in student resources. She also ran Pacific Islander retention and outreach, where she secured $180,000 in annual funding, supervised staff, and shaped the program’s retention strategy.

In these roles, Jiorden worked with students, administrators, and community partners, turning what she heard from students into funding decisions and institutional change. She joins Coro to build the cross-sector leadership skills needed to keep expanding opportunities for communities across Los Angeles.

Luis Angel Mendoza

Warsaw, NC
B.A., Philosophy, Politics, & Economics and Chicano-Latino Studies
Claremont McKenna College
LinkedIn

Luis is a first-generation graduate of Claremont McKenna College, where he earned degrees in Philosophy, Politics, & Economics and Chicano-Latino Studies. Growing up in rural North Carolina, he was inspired by the hustle and humility of his immigrant parents, both small business owners, instilling his lifelong commitment to public service. As a Projects for Peace Grant recipient, Luis conducted human rights fieldwork in Medellín, Colombia.

Upon returning to the United States, he continued advocating for Latino communities as a legal assistant specializing in asylum law. He later founded a program connecting rural youth in Minnesota with professional opportunities to launch community impact initiatives. Currently, Luis applies his experience in community development and coalition-building as a Founding Board Member of Kivu’s Children Foundation, a nonprofit supporting immigrant youth navigating legal proceedings. Through Coro, he is excited to strengthen his civic leadership and gain cross-sector versatility as an aspiring public interest attorney.

Malia Natividad

Redondo Beach, CA
B.A., Political Science; Minor in Disability Studies
UCLA
LinkedIn

Malia is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science alongside a minor in Disability Studies. During her undergraduate career, Malia joined the Special Olympics at UCLA and witnessed, firsthand, the transformative power of inclusive spaces. Now dedicated to disability rights advocacy and expanding access to inclusive education, Malia is passionate about creating systemic change in accessibility standards.

Her professional experience spans the legislative, nonprofit, and legal sectors. Committed to direct community impact, Malia has served as a direct support professional for neurodivergent adults and contributed to advocacy efforts and nonprofit operations as an intern at R.A.D (Rising Above Disabilities) Camp. Malia understands the vital need to bridge the gap between policy and its practical impact on individuals with disabilities in the L.A. community.

Michael Anthony Miser

Hemet, CA
B.A., Political Science; Minor in Philosophy
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
LinkedIn

Michael is a Southern California native, born in the mountains of San Bernardino County, raised in Riverside County, and now lives and works in Los Angeles County. Following high school, Michael enlisted in the Navy, where he completed two deployments and six years of active-duty service. After his service, Michael enrolled at Cal Poly Pomona, graduating summa cum laude in political science and philosophy.

While attending university, Michael completed an internship with the Department of Veterans Affairs, connecting veterans to services; a grantmaking internship with the Pritzker Foundation; two child welfare policy internships; and an internship in the U.S. Congress. In addition, Michael served as a peer mentor for two years, channeling his passion into supporting more than 30 mentees. Outside of work and public service, Michael is the youngest of nine siblings, uncle to thirteen nieces and nephews, and an avid road tripper, reader, and tennis player.

Shay Olaifa

Houston, TX
B.A., Political Science | Rice University
B.A., Social Policy Analysis | Rice University
LinkedIn

Shay is a 2026 Rice University alum, where she studied Political Science and Social Policy Analysis. Her work explores how policy and institutions shape health inequities and access, particularly at the intersection of law and racial equity. At Rice, Shay co-led the Creosote Contamination Archive, a community-centered project documenting the environmental and health impacts of toxic contamination in Houston’s Fifth Ward through 200+ historical records and 9+ oral histories. Her research has been presented to over 1,000 people through a TEDxRiceU talk and several other showcases.

Shay has interned with the Brookings Institution Center on Health Policy, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Accountable.US, and worked with Afro-Brazilian communities in São Paulo. She is a Stanford Law Scholar, Truman Scholarship for Public Service Semifinalist, and recipient of several Changemaker Awards. Outside of public service, Shay is a DJ, fashion designer, and skater!

Teva Corwin

Los Angeles, CA
B.A., American Studies, Hispanic Literatures & Cultures; Minor in Data Analysis
Wesleyan University
LinkedIn

Energized by the people and institutions working to foster thriving communities across Los Angeles, Teva is grateful for the opportunity to serve as a Coro Fellow to deepen her capacity to meaningfully engage with the city she calls home. Teva graduated from Wesleyan University with majors in American Studies and Spanish and a minor in Data Analysis, where her thesis research examined how locally-owned food markets shape identity and place in Koreatown. She recently completed a Fulbright in Mexico, where she taught English to future educators.

Informed by her various teaching experiences and reproductive rights advocacy as an abortion doula at Planned Parenthood and an Organizing Intern with Reproductive Freedom for All, Teva hopes to build a career in public affairs focused on community-centered policy and cross-sector collaboration. Her favorite LA activities include dancing at LACMA music nights, hiking in Griffith Park, and eating at Grand Central Market.

Vicente Villasenor

Downey, CA
B.S., Hydrologic Science & Policy; Minor in Spatial Studies
UC Santa Barbara
LinkedIn

Born and raised in Los Angeles County, Vicente is a second generation, Mexican-American, college graduate committed to environmental advocacy and public service. He completed his B.S. in Hydrologic Science and Policy and a minor in Spatial studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. At UCSB, Vicente, served as a research assistant at the Environmental Market Lab, conducting research on international environmental policy, focusing on reforestation and sustainable commodity supply chains.

After graduating, Vicente deepened this interest through community engagement and local environmental policy serving as an Outreach Coordinator and Water Quality Specialist at a local environmental nonprofit. His work spans coalition building, transparent science communication, and face to face community building. In the future, Vicente hopes to pursue a career in public interest environmental law. Vicente is excited to join the 69th Cohort of Fellows in Los Angeles and explore all the opportunities that the public affairs fellowship has to offer.