J.D. Student Ambassador: Ann Caindec
Ann Caindec is Tlingit (Alaska Native) and Native Hawaiian. She grew up in the Bay Area and spent summers in Alaska. She graduated magna cum laude from Gonzaga University with a BA in English and minors in Psychology and Native American Studies. While at Gonzaga, Ann co-founded and was President of the Indigenous Peoples and Rights Club. She also studied abroad at Magdalen College, University of Oxford. After undergrad, Ann worked for the legal department of Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Inc. (CITC), an Alaska Native social services non-profit located in Anchorage, AK. She was Chair of CITC’s Youth Advisory Council where she worked closely with executive leadership and the Board of Directors to advocate for Alaska Native youth. Ann was also a Board Member for the Alaska Innocence Project from 2022 to 2025.
After working in Alaska for three years, Ann chose to attend UCLA Law for its strong Native community and fantastic Native professors. She was especially drawn in by the Native Nations Law and Policy Center, Tribal Legal Development Clinic, and multiple Indian law classes that UCLA Law offers. Ann is a Graton Scholar and specializes in Native Nations Law.
Last year, Ann served as Co-President of the Native American Law Students Association (NALSA) and this year she is the Recruitment Chair. She is the Articles Editor for the Indigenous Peoples’ Journal of Law, Culture & Resistance after previously working as a Staff Editor. Ann has also been heavily involved with the Tribal Legal Development Clinic, where she has focused on the international protection of Indigenous intellectual property rights, which is her passion. Ann has attended multiple sessions of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC) in Geneva, Switzerland, where she participates in the Indigenous Caucus. At these sessions, Ann advocates for the protection of genetic resources, traditional knowledge, and traditional cultural expressions during treaty negotiations currently taking place with Member States. Ann has given the Opening Statement on behalf of the Indigenous Caucus for IGC sessions 49, 50, and 51.
Ann spent her 1L and 2L summers as a Summer Law Clerk with the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation and hopes to continue working for a tribe or tribal organization after she graduates.
Contact Ann at studentambassador6@law.ucla.edu.
For questions related to the application or admissions, you can email admissions@law.ucla.edu.