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Jose Ortiz
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Jose Ortiz is originally from Tijuana Baja California, Mexico. He came to the United States at the age of 8 and settled in California. Currently, he is an undergraduate student at UCLA majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. For the past three years, he has been an active member of Improving Dreams, Equality, Access and Success (IDEAS) at UCLA, during which he has lobbied legislators in Sacramento and Washington D.C. for the passage of the Federal DREAM Act. "I used to live in the shadows, until my IDEAS family and other undocumented students politicized me and guided me in the process of sharing my story," says Jose. Despite his active leadership roles in advocating for the undocumented immigrant community, he also has an interest in contributing his skills and abilities to Medicine. During the summer of 2012, he conducted clinical cancer research at the City of Hope National Medical Center. He is a freelance artist and believes artwork serves as a medium to relax and heal. After graduating, he plans to apply to graduate school and become a research Oncologist.
