Ana was born in Mexico and raised in Pasadena. She comes from a very close-knit and hard working family. Her father works at a refinery where he has been a shift worker for over 16 years. Her mother worked as a school cafeteria worker while raising her children.

Ana was an honors student at the University of Houston. She quickly accelerated through school and received her Bachelors of Art in Political Science and Psychology at 21 years old. While completing her undergraduate degree, she participated in a study abroad program to China and a Peace Corps summer internship in South Africa.

Ana attended the University of Texas School of Law. She received her Doctor of Jurisprudence in May of 2004. While at UT, Ana served as Director of Development for the Texas International Law Journal.

She was also actively involved with the Chicano/Hispanic Law Students Association, the Women’s Roundtable Discussion Group, Texas Law Tutors and Student Recruitment and Orientation Committee. In the Fall of 2003, Ana participated in the UT School of Law Exchange Program and attended the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

Ana is an attorney at ConocoPhillips. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the Texas Young Lawyers Association.

In her spare time, Ana is an active member of the Tejano Democrats. She serves on the American Heart Association Policy Council. She also volunteers with Latinas on the Rise, which is an educational and mentorship program for young Latinas. Ana helped found the program in 1998 and served as the Executive Director of the program for many years. She now assists in mentoring and fundraising for the program.

Ana began her career in politics by participating in the Texas Legislative Internship Program sponsored by Senator Rodney Ellis. Through this program, she began working for Representative Jessica Farrar and later became her Chief of Staff. She then went on to work for the late Representative Joe E. Moreno. She worked three continuous legislative sessions, the 76th-78th Legislatures (1998-2004). During the 77th Legislative Session, she staffed Farrar while a member of the Appropriations Committee. There, she gained a working knowledge of the complexities of the State Budget. During these years, she also worked in the campaigns of both Farrar and Moreno, serving as Moreno’s campaign manager in the 2000 Democratic Primary.