Michael Lopez is a junior in the Liberal Arts Honors Program at The University of Texas at Austin majoring in humanities. Raised near the southern border of Texas, he transferred to UT Austin after his freshman year at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. At UT Rio Grande Valley, Lopez served as the treasurer for the Political Science Association, an organization dedicated to increasing civic engagement and awareness on campus. His childhood experiences with the legal system, including securing custody and surviving conversion therapy, led him to pursue a legal career as an avenue for change. Lopez has interned at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas and at Aparicio and McLaren, a boutique transactional firm. He founded the UT Austin Matriculate Fellowship, a national nonprofit focused on increasing college access and equity. Lopez also volunteers as a lifeline responder for The Trevor Project. After graduation, he plans to attend law school and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.