Elida is a Southern California native and double Bruin, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Spanish from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Master of Public Health, with a concentration in Community Health Sciences, from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Currently, Elida serves as the Executive Director of the Arts for Healing and Justice Network responsible for overseeing all aspects of the organization including the strategic visioning and financial sustainability of the AHJN. Elida was selected as a 2016-2017 Arts for LA Activate fellow, completing the Arts Education track. Her peer-reviewed article, "Health Implications of Housing Assignments for Incarcerated Transgender Women" was recently published in the American Journal of Public Health.