Help Ellie go to Law School!

Growing up in the Atwater Village neighborhood of Los Angeles, Elianet was surrounded by the highly diverse population that has defined her community since its founding. With roughly half of residents born abroad, the heritages found in her neighborhood inevitably shaped her worldview as well as her perception of her place within it. Her views on race, ethnography and culture were formed by observing the community around her.

Her parents, who emigrated from Mexico in the eighties, often worked multiple jobs to make ends meet. With more than ten years difference between Romero and her next sibling, she often found herself in the role of caretaker. She views this responsibility as being central to her identity, and it has motivated her to continue to provide guidance for her younger sister and brother, encouraging them to go to college.

As a young student, Romero set herself apart academically, and at the encouragement of her teachers, applied to and attended magnet schools outside her neighborhood boundaries. Romero says she took it upon herself to “craft her own education,” and as a result was surrounded by high achieving students with college dreams. Upon graduation from Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School in Boyle Heights, Romero knew that her next step was to become an Anteater.


Ellie cites the inherent racism amongst Latinx cultures toward other Latinx cultures as being a driving force for her to pursue a career in the study of race and culture. The question her thesis seeks to answer is “How is it that the very Latinx communities that should be supporting each other – supporting immigrants from Latin America – are instead deeply divided and against one another?”