Angélica César ’25

Striving to Lead by Example

When Angélica César was 10, her mother immigrated from Mexico City to Arizona, desperate to give her two daughters a better life. But arriving at the peak of the state’s anti-immigrant movement — when law enforcement agents regularly partnered with federal agencies to execute workplace raids and enforce policies against the undocumented — came with a cost.

César’s sister was deported. Her family remains separated.

“Experiencing the devastating impact of that at a young age led me to engage in community organizing and policy advocacy efforts,” César says. “With the right tools, we can shift the course of law and public policy as it pertains to immigration. That’s why I’m here.”

STEP BY STEP: Named to Hispanic Executive’s 30 Under 30 list, Angélica César balances patience with persistence in her community organizing and policy advocacy. Photo by Brittany Hosea-Small

Angélica César ’25

Striving to Lead by Example

When Angélica César was 10, her mother immigrated from Mexico City to Arizona, desperate to give her two daughters a better life. But arriving at the peak of the state’s anti-immigrant movement — when law enforcement agents regularly partnered with federal agencies to execute workplace raids and enforce policies against the undocumented — came with a cost.

César’s sister was deported. Her family remains separated.

“Experiencing the devastating impact of that at a young age led me to engage in community organizing and policy advocacy efforts,” César says. “With the right tools, we can shift the course of law and public policy as it pertains to immigration. That’s why I’m here.”

STEP BY STEP: Named to Hispanic Executive’s 30 Under 30 list, Angélica César balances patience with persistence in her community organizing and policy advocacy.

Her commitment was evident well before she applied to Berkeley Law, as she partnered with leading civil rights organizations on multiple fronts to benefit immigrant, Latinx, and BIPOC communities. Recognized for those and other efforts, César landed on the latest 30 Under 30 list in Hispanic Executive, which amplifies the voices of Latinx leadership in America.

Last year, she co-created programming and led advocacy training sessions for UnidosUS’s 2022 Líderes Avanzando Fellowship cohort, which supports the next generation of Latinx civil rights leaders. As a prior cohort fellow, she drafted op-eds and policy memos and met with congressional staffers to push for policies that advance Latinx prosperity.

César also helped lead a campaign that trained more than 2,000 people working for educational equity on behalf of undocumented students. Four years of work later, with the Arizona State Legislature passing Proposition 308, such students there will now receive in-state tuition and state-funded scholarships.

“With the right tools, we can shift the course of law and public policy as it pertains to immigration. That’s why I’m here.”

“It was a transformative experience that taught me the critical importance of centering the leadership and experiences of impacted people in policy and law,” César says. “I also learned that pursuing change in the policy arena requires persistence, courage, and a deep commitment to a mission greater than yourself.”

Taking advantage of Berkeley Law’s unique opportunities for 1Ls to dive into pro bono work right away, César now participates in the Post-Conviction Advocacy Project and helps to represent incarcerated people appearing before the California Board of Parole.

Also elected as one of two 1L representatives for the Student Association at Berkeley Law, César and her co-rep Caleb Charles have secured funding for and helped elevate various 1L-led community-building initiatives, supported professional development and readiness programming, and worked to improve access to academic support.

“As a first-generation law student and Latina, I recognize that people like me have been historically excluded from academic and legal institutions,” says César, noting that less than 2% of U.S. lawyers are Latina. “I’m committed to fostering a culture of belonging, transparency, and accountability in the communities I’m part of, and I take my role in ensuring that we co-create that culture for all very seriously.” — Andrew Cohen

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