The Aspen Institute

Graciela Nunez (Seattle, Washington) is originally from Caracas, Venezuela. In 2002, she migrated to the United States with her parents and arrived in Miami, Florida where she grew up in the historic Little Havana neighborhood. Her early life experiences were centered on forms of civic engagement regarding immigration and voting rights issues. In 2012, Graciela moved to Seattle, Washington. During her cross-country trip, she realized the racial divide in the United States and has made it her mission to address economic inequity, criminal justice reform through an intersectional social justice lens. Currently, she is a senior at the University of Washington in Seattle, majoring in Political Science. In her freshman year, she created Purple Group, an on-campus undocumented student support group that addresses mental, emotional, and financial needs of the aforementioned student population. She believes in the power of grassroots movements when fighting for constitutional rights. Graciela was selected to be part of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s Spring Congressional internship program and was placed in Senator Maria Cantwell’s (D-WA) office where she worked under the supervision of the healthcare legislative assistant. Graciela will pursue law school in the coming years. Participated in Aspen Institute Latinos and Society Program Unlocking Latino Millennial Civic Potential.