Ashley Ceballos-Hernandez '23

---

Ashley Ceballos-Hernandez '23 is one of 11 emerging leaders selected by Coro Southern California for its 66th class of Coro Fellows in Public Affairs. The Coro Fellowship uses the region as a classroom to train the next generation of civic leaders.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Ceballos-Hernandez is passionate about social issues in and around the area. After growing up in Southeast Los Angeles (SELA), she feels very passionate about issues surrounding education, gentrification, the carceral system and basic needs. As an undergraduate double-major in public affairs and labor studies, Ceballos-Hernandez interned with the Youth Justice Coalition and Dignity and Justice Now nonprofits to conduct research analyzing how policing impacts communities of color. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Ceballos-Hernandez served as an active student leader advocating for more basic needs resources for students and met with faculty in the Academic Senate regarding issues of accessibility. Last summer, she participated in UC Berkeley’s Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute Fellowship Program, a graduate-level preparation program for students committed to public service careers. She also worked for UCLA’s Early Academic Outreach Program where she supported students with college applications. As a Coro Fellow, Ceballos-Hernandez is excited and grateful to remain in Los Angeles while developing as a public servant and exploring the different change-making sectors and organizations in her community.

Coro was founded in San Francisco in 1942 by W. Donald Fletcher, an attorney, and Van Duyn Dodge, an investment counselor, to train young veterans in the leadership skills necessary to assure that our democratic system of government could more effectively meet the needs of its citizens.

Since 1947, when the first program was delivered, Coro has grown to include Centers in four cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles (1957), St. Louis (1973), New York (1980) and Pittsburgh (1999).

Over 1,000 participants a year go through Coro programs nationwide. There are over 10,000 program alumni currently serving as leaders in local, regional and national/global businesses, non-profit organizations, labor unions, governmental agencies and elected public office.