Yadira López Puac

Congressional Intern, Presented by Phillips 66
Hometown: Wyoming, Michigan
School: Grand Valley State University
Major: Computer Science
Placement: Office of Sen. Elissa Slotkin

Yadira López Puac was born and raised in Guatemala, where her farmer parents taught her the core values of hard work, education, and service. Inspired by her mother’s dedication to serving others, her father’s entrepreneurial spirit, and her older brother’s civic engagement, Yadira developed a strong commitment to her community from an early age. When she immigrated to the United States at age fourteen, she taught herself English while balancing the challenges of adapting to a new country and supporting her family. Yadira is a recent honors graduate from Grand Rapids Community College, where she earned her Associate Degree in Pre-Computer Science, was named the Graduate of Excellence for the School of STEM and was selected as the Honors Student of the Year for the 2025-2026 academic year.

On campus, she served as Vice President of the International Languages Arts Club and was active in the Latino Student Union. Deeply involved in her community, Yadira serves as a youth group leader coordinator at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew, is part of the Michigan Immigrant Youth Leadership Council, completed the Futuro Líderes program with the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and frequently volunteers at the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan.

Yadira will continue her education at Grand Valley State University to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and a Master’s in Data Science and Analytics. As a proud Latina in STEM, she aims to become a software engineer to resolve real-world problems and help guide policies that benefit society.

As a CHCI Intern, Yadira hopes to grow as a leader, student, and professional, while strengthening her knowledge of the U.S. government system and building meaningful connections to empower the Latino community.