Heidy Melchor

CHCI Public Policy Fellow Presented by Amazon
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
School: University of California, Los Angeles 
Degree: B.A. in Public Affairs, B.A. in Labor Studies
Placement: The Office of Congressman Adam Schiff

Heidy (she/her) was born and raised in Los Angeles, California to immigrant parents from Oaxaca, Mexico. Due to her upbringing in a working-class community of Oaxacan-indigenous immigrants, Heidy became deeply aware of the institutional and racial inequalities and labor exploitation her community faces. 

She obtained her B.A. in Public Affairs and Labor Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Aware of the importance of Oaxacan-indigenous students’ identity in higher education, Heidy was one of the founders of Grupo Estudiantil Oaxaqueño de UCLA, a student-led organization that was created to bring together the growing community of Oaxaqueños on UCLA’s campus and the greater Los Angeles area to build and expand educational opportunities to Oaxacan students. Heidy was then selected as the only undergraduate student researcher to participate in an applied research project with the UCLA Labor Center to explore the social condition of the hotel sector of Los Cabos, Mexico, which expanded her knowledge of labor rights. Heidy’s dedication to social justice and equity led her to become a Project Policy Analyst at the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI), overseeing the design of leadership programs that advance data-informed governance to improve the quality of life for Latinos and other communities of color.

As a CHCI Public Policy Fellow, Heidy hopes to gain a deeper understanding of the legislative process at a national level and continue expanding her knowledge in the public policy space, with hopes to continue her career in this field.