Mission: The Womxn of Color Collective is dedicated to creating a safe space and a community within the UCLA School of Law where the unique experiences, opinions, challenges, and successes of womxn and womxn of color are shared.  We are a collective of individuals who identify as womxn, womxn of color, or allies. We are open to all people ready to engage in an open and honest dialogue about race, gender and the law. Our mission is to promote the empowerment, inspiration, and personal and professional development of womxn and people of color in the legal field.


We begin from the perspective that the institution of law does not understand, acknowledge, or make room for the experiences, opinions, and world-views of womxn and people of color. It further actively defines what it means to be a womxn and a person of color in a way that does violence to those identities.  We seek to re-frame what it means to be a womxn and a person of color both from within and outside of the law.



We spell womxn with a "x" as opposed to the common way of spelling it with an “e” because we want to assert ourselves and our views as womxn, consciously rejecting the patriarchal norms that permeate the legal field and society in general.

If you’re interested in becoming a member and signing up for our weekly newsletter, please email us at wocc@lawnet.ucla.edu. To see what we have been up to, follow our instagram: @uclawocc

Mariam Zahran (she/her) is Secretary of WoCC. She is a 2L, is pursuing a specialization in Business Law, is Co-President of the Business Law Association, and is a Staff Member on the UCLA Law Review. She loves music, coffee, reading, cooking, and old movies.

Ashley Avakian (she/her) is Treasurer of WoCC. She is a 2L, a member of the Armenian Law Students Association, and will serve as a Writing Advisor to incoming 1Ls this year.

Malyka Akom (she/her) is External Relations Chair of WoCC. She is a 2L, is pursuing a critical race studies specialization and is Social Chair of the Black Law Students Association. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with friends/family.

Heliya Izadpanah (xe/xer/xir, she/her) serves as WoCC Co-Chair. A 2L, she is specializing in Public Interest Law, International and Comparative Law, and Critical Race Studies. She is also a board member of Food Law Society, UC Survivors and Allies, and co-leading the UCLA Law’s Inter-Organizational Committee for Trauma-Informed Teaching. She enjoys kayaking, climbing, yoga, hiking, farming, reading, and organizing in her free-time.

Riya Chaudhry (she/her) serves as WoCC’s Social Chair. As a 2L, she is a member of SALSA, a writing advisor, and is specializing in Entertainment & Media Law. In her free-time, she enjoys crocheting, doing nails, and creative writing.

Katrina Zhu (she/her) is WOCC’s Political Activism Chair.  She’s a 2L in the Epstein Public Interest specialization, the Critical Race Studies specialization, and the Technology Law specialization (whether she can do all three remains to be seen…).  She’s the Deputy Editor in Chief for the Asian Pacific American Law Journal and the Online Editor for the Journal of Law and Technology.  She also serves as APILSA’s Community Outreach co-chair, and participates in El Centro’s Tenants’ Rights Clinic.  She loves hiking, reading, listening to podcasts, and playing soccer.

Leila Soltani (she/her) serves as WoCC Co-Chair. As a 2L, she will serve as a Writing Advisor. She is also a board member of the Real Estate Law Association and the Animal Law Society. In her free-time, she enjoys playing tennis, volunteering, and spending time with family.

Elena Li (she/her) is WoCC’s Social Co-Chair. A 2L, she specializes in Business Law and participates in El-Central VAWA clinic. She is the Alumni Relations Co-Chair of Apilsa and a member of Entertainment Law Review. She is also a legal intern at Universal Studios Hollywood so hit her up for discounted tickets! When she gets free time, she enjoys making tea, drawing oil pastel paintings, and visiting theaters and museums.