Degree: B.A. Political Science
Occupation: Constituent service representative, Office of Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman
Experiential learning: New Jersey Governor’s Hispanic Fellows Program, internships with the American Red Cross of New Jersey, the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund and the Office of Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman
Campus involvement: Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics fellow, Center for Community + Belonging chief of staff, Rider Latinas Unidas president, Political Science Club president, Gender and Sexuality Studies Colloquium presenter
Public service
For Karla Lopez-Rosa ’23, an internship in the Office of Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman became a full-circle experience. She learned under the leadership of another Rider alumna, Aileen Merino-Lazo ’20, who she considers a mentor. Now, as a full-time employee for the congresswoman, Karla assists constituents with federal agency issues such as Social Security benefits, provides Spanish language translation assistance and oversees her own group of interns.
“It feels like a very full-circle moment to get to work with students who are in the same position I was in just a short while ago,” she says. “I want to be a mentor to them and encourage them in the same way I was always encouraged.”
Immigration advocate
A proud daughter of immigrants, Karla is particularly passionate about immigration rights and policy. Throughout a number of internships, Karla was able to gain real-world experience assisting immigrant families. As an intern with the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund in Trenton, she says the opportunity “impacted me personally because I was able to see what it was like for immigrant families in their need of health care, education and legal assistance."
Karla hopes to attend law school in the future to ensure she can advocate for those navigating the immigration system.