DSST Alumni Achievement Award

Ashly Villa-Ortega, DSST: Green Valley Ranch '15 – 2025 DSST Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient
DSST proudly honors Ashly Villa-Ortega as the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, recognizing her outstanding leadership, advocacy, and lifelong commitment to justice. A member of the founding class at DSST: Green Valley Ranch, Ashly was known for her curiosity, humor, and powerful voice—both as a poet and as an advocate for others.

After graduating from DSST, Ashly earned her bachelor’s degree in Ethnic Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder and went on to receive her Juris Doctor from Loyola University New Orleans. Her journey has been rooted in service and equity—from her early work as a community organizer and youth justice advocate to her current role as a staff attorney at the Disability Rights Legal Center in Los Angeles, where she fights for the civil rights of people with disabilities.

Ashly’s compassion, courage, and dedication to systemic change exemplify DSST’s mission to develop the moral and intellectual foundations for a lifetime of meaningful contribution. Through her work and character, she continues to inspire the DSST community and stands as a shining example of what it means to be a DSST alum.

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