UCGPC is a non-profit organization that advocates for graduate and professional students at University of California.

Director of Legislative Affairs and Outreach

Ernesto Arciniega is the Director of Legislative Affairs and Outreach at UCGPC and a Ph.D. candidate in Hispanic Literatures at UCLA. He graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Spanish and Latin American Literatures from UC Berkeley, where he was a Phi Beta Kappa member, and holds a Master’s in Spanish Literatures from UCLA. Ernesto’s research interests include Contemporary Latin American, Mexican, and Chicanx Literatures and Cultures, Border Studies, Immigration Law in the U.S., the History of California, Urban Art, and the interplay of Artificial Intelligence in writing Literature and History. Recognized as a UC National Center for Free Speech Fellow, a Mellon-EPIC Fellow, and a five-time recipient of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Ernesto is a strong advocate for environmental justice, immigrants’ rights, mental health, and student basic needs. He has served as a board member on the ASUCLA Board of Directors, as Student Advocate (StAR) to the UC Board of Regents on multiple occasions, as GSA Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement, and as Vice President of External Affairs at the UCLA Graduate Student Association during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Ernesto initiated his career in student advocacy as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley in 2014 and became involved with UCGPC in 2020. Over his nearly four years with UCGPC, he has served in various capacities, including Student Director of Outreach, Vice Chair, Director of Outreach and Organizing, and currently as Director of Legislative Affairs and Outreach. At UCGPC, Ernesto focuses on amplifying students’ voices and needs at the UC, state, and national levels. Additionally, Ernesto served as an elected Councilmember for the North Westwood Neighborhood Council in Los Angeles for four years, where he advocated for improving public transportation, building student affordable housing, and supporting Westwood’s disenfranchised communities. His most recent publication is titled “Lighting the Way for Undocumented Students at UC: Free Speech, Civic and Political Engagement.” In his free time, Ernesto enjoys traveling, learning new languages, watching queer films and series, and spending time with his friends in West Hollywood.

Executive Director

As the Executive Director, Patriccia directs and controls all of UCGPC’s business operations and ensures its success through strategic planning, cost-based thinking, and a creative vision. Patriccia is the sole full-time staff at UCGPC.

Patriccia Ordonez-Kim (she/her) is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Riverside’s School of Education. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Educational Administration in Higher Education and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from California State University, Northridge. She served as the Interim President and Vice President of External Affairs of the Graduate Student Association at the University of California, Riverside from 2021-2022 and was an invited guest in Bill Gate’s inaugural session of Gates Notes Deep Dive on May 2021.