A native New Mexican with deep roots in the area, Antoinette Sedillo Lopez grew up in the small New Mexico farming village of Los Chavez. She went to UNM and then UCLA School of Law. In 1986, she found her passion for teaching when she became a law professor at UNM School of Law. She soon became the first Latina to earn tenure at the School of Law. She later went on to become the Director and Associate Dean of UNM's legal clinic, where law students practiced law in a pro-bono clinic, helping people in our community with their legal needs. Throughout her career as a law professor, she published numerous books, articles, and poems; she organized and presented at many important legal education conferences; and, she earned several awards for excellence, service, and leadership. She served as an executive director of an anti domestic violence non-profit and became a State Senator in 2019 where she champions and supports climate change and environmental legislation. She serves as vice-chair of the Conservation Committee and on the Health and Public Affairs Committee.