Aimee Benitez Aguirre
AIMEE BENITEZ AGUIRRE(she/her/hers) is a senior double majoring in Public Affairs and International Development Studies. As a returning Policy Fellow within the UCLA LPPI Research Department, she is passionate about city-wide equity, youth development, voter rights, environmental sustainability, and immigration policy.
At UCLA, Aimee is the Co-Chair of Improving Dreams, Equity, and Access, a program aimed at benefiting UCLA’s sizable undocumented population, and is a 2023 Astin Community Engaged Research Scholar. She serves on the Olivia Mitchell City Youth Council as the representative for Council District 1 working to empower youth from across the city. Aimee recently spent a Quarter in Washington DC (UCDC), where she interned for Congressman Jimmy Gomez supporting federal efforts for the 34th District. For her academic achievement and leadership in the community, Aimee was selected as a 2023 Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Program Law & Policy fellow at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy.
Born and raised in Guatemala, Aimee migrated to the U.S. at an early age. As an undocumented immigrant activist raised in Los Angeles’ Westlake MacArthur Park neighborhood, she acutely understands how policy actions—or lack thereof—shape the life opportunities of thousands and is passionate about data-driven mobilization.
