Aliyah Cerda

Aliyah Cerda is a Research and Policy Fellow at LULAC's National Office in Washington, D.C. Having grown up in the Rio Grande Valley, she is a rising senior at the University of Notre Dame, where she studies Political Science and Latino Studies with a minor in Constitutional Studies. She is a Latino Studies Merit Scholar, Gates Scholar, and QuestBridge Scholar.

At Notre Dame, Aliyah serves as President of the Latinx Student Association, where she helped establish the university's partnership with Voto Latino to promote civic engagement and voter participation among Latino students. She also works with the Notre Dame Law School Exoneration Justice Clinic through the Program for the Defense of Mexican Nationals in Criminal Matters (PDM), supporting efforts related to legal advocacy and criminal justice.

Her academic interests focus on Latino political behavior, voting rights, and political representation. As part of her senior honors thesis, titled The Latino Electorate Reconsidered: A Qualitative Study of Shifting Political Attitudes in the Rio Grande Valley, she examines the diversity of political perspectives within Latino communities and challenges assumptions that Latino voters constitute a political monolith.

Through her work in research, advocacy, and community engagement, Aliyah seeks to advance civil rights and expand democratic participation. Following graduation, she plans to attend law school and pursue a career in civil rights law.