Biography

Alyssa Hemler is an international, interracial, Chinese American adoptee and Disability Justice activist from Claremont, California. She received her Bachelors of Arts in English and Asian American Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as a certificate in Paralegal Studies with Distinction from the University of California, Los Angeles Extension. Beyond academics, she served as the Chief of Staff: Student Affairs for the USAC Transfer Student Representative’s Office 2021-2022, an undergraduate student representative on the University Committee on Disability and the Center for Accessible Education’s Student and Faculty Advisory Committee, and a Facilitator for UCLA’s Student Engagement Workgroup. Her Master’s Thesis documents the historical and contemporary legal violence that is unique to international, interracial/transracial, Chinese American adoptees, and proposes ways that the United States (US) government, social welfare programs, and nonprofit organizations can mitigate legal violence and increase the well-being of the US’s most vulnerable individuals. Outside of school, she enjoys visiting Asian American historical sites. Alyssa works to Uplift, Empower, and Serve the People.