CHCI – PepsiCo Foundation Law Graduate Fellow
Hometown: Coachella, California
School: Loyola Law School
Degrees: Juris Doctor
Placement 1: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Civil Rights
Placement 2: U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education Labor & Pensions
Brenda Ayón Verduzco was born in Mexico and was raised in Coachella, California after her parents immigrated to the United States. She graduated from the University of California, Irvine, with a B.A. in political science and sociology. In 2016, Brenda graduated from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, where she earned her Juris Doctor with a concentration in immigration law and civil litigation. Brenda’s public service passion stems from her own experience growing up with limited resources as a once undocumented AB540 student.
Throughout law school, Brenda worked as a legal extern at private plaintiff’s-side civil litigation law firms, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor’s 1st District Office, and at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF). Brenda received valuable hands-on experience working as a clinical law student for Loyola’s Immigrant Justice Clinic, advocating for the rights of indigent clients who could not otherwise afford representation. She worked to contribute to the experiences students of color face upon entering the legal profession, by serving as the Co-Chair to the Immigration Law Society, as Mentorship Co-Chair to the Women’s Law Society, and was the Outreach Coordinator for the Young Lawyers Program.
As a CHCI Law Graduate Fellow, Brenda is excited to apply her legal background to the public-policy making process, and hopes to cultivate valuable relationships while gaining insight into areas of civil rights, immigrant rights, and labor laws that affect the Latino community.