Ofelia graduated from Edison High School in San Antonio, Texas. She was admitted to the prestigious University of Wisconsin-Madison where she double majored and earned her B.A. in Sociology & Behavioral Science and Law. While at UW-Madison Ofelia became deliberately involved in student politics and was the founder of a mentorship program for first generation college students, was a co-founder of the Semana Chicana a week long conference that included panels, art exhibits, educational workshops, and cultural events centered on Chicana/o history and culture, and she held several leadership positions on university committees and student organizations. Ofelia was encouraged by her professor’s to attend graduate school and she went on to earn her M.A. in Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Ofelia chose UCSB because of its internationally renowned top-tier Sociology program. She studied under distinguished professors that aligned with her interest in social movements, indigenous resistance, and social change. At UCSB, she was a graduate student teaching assistant in the Sociology Department and the Department of Chicana/o Studies. She served as an advisor to undergraduate students and regularly presented as a panelist at the American Sociological Association and National Association of Chicana/o Studies. She did all this while working throughout college and her summers. Ofelia was committed to her education and impoverished communities which led her to volunteer countless hours at UW and UCSB. Ofelia graduated from UCSB with high honors and went on to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a lawyer with both academic and social justice centered work experience.

Before law school, Ofelia worked in non-profits that serviced at-risk teens, survivors of domestic violence, and immigrants throughout San Antonio. Her years of working in the non-profit world further reinforced her commitment to justice. Ofelia decided to pursue her law degree later in life graduating from the University of New Orleans College of Law in 2012.  While in her second year in law school she volunteered at the Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic & Center for Social Justice helping undocumented immigrants recover unpaid wages. By her third year, she was admitted as a student practitioner in both the Immigration Clinic and Workplace Justice Clinic. While in law school she had the opportunity to intern in Mexico reviewing land disputes in poverty stricken areas, clerked for Legal Aid, was active in the student chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, and was trained as a Legal Observer.