Elizabeth Esteban-Hernandez

Hometown: Thermal, California
School: Harvard University
Major: Government
Placement: The Office of Rep. Raul Ruiz

Elizabeth was born and raised in the rural city of Thermal in the Eastern Coachella Valley, California. She is the daughter of hardworking immigrant farmworkers, who at a young age, instilled in her the importance of earning a higher education to improve her underserved community. By experiencing firsthand the environmental, educational, and economic inequalities that affected her predominantly immigrant community, Elizabeth got involved with various non-profit organizations within her community, including Inland Congregations United for Change and Lideres Campesinas, while also being student body president. Through her advocacy work, she became the first student in her community to be Congressman Ruiz’s guest for the 2020 State of the Union address. 

Elizabeth is a rising Junior at Harvard University, concentrating in Government with a secondary in Ethnicity, Migration, and Rights and a citation in Spanish. She understands the importance of forming a Latinx community at Harvard. On campus, she is Vice President of Fuerza Latina, the largest Pan-Latinx organization on campus, and community building co-chair for Act On a Dream which works with the immigrant community. Elizabeth hopes to attend law school and ultimately work on Capitol Hill to change the systems that limit the opportunities of the Latino community and alleviate the inequities present in her community and across the nation. 

As a CHCI Intern, Elizabeth hopes to be a better leader for her community on-campus and in the Eastern Coachella Valley. She is eager to work alongside current Latino leaders while strengthening her understanding of the legislative process.