At 21, Litzy Ocampos is already leaving her mark
Think back to your life at 21. For many, it’s a season of uncertainty, self-discovery,
and learning to navigate independence for the first time. For Litzy Ocampos, her family
and determination guided every step of a journey already marked by achievement.
At just 21 years old, the soon-to-be Master of Public Health graduate has spent years moving toward her goals with uncommon clarity and momentum. After graduating high school with an associate degree already completed, Ocampos earned her bachelor’s in public health in just two years, reaching milestones at a quicker pace than her peers. Despite having opportunities closer to home in Houston, Texas, she chose to step outside of her comfort zone and create a life away from her family to pursue graduate school. What began as a move for her education quickly became a journey of purpose.
That purpose became even clearer during her time at the College of Public Health at UNT Health Fort Worth, where classroom experiences translate to meaningful impact. Drawn to maternal and child health through both personal passion and global health experiences abroad, Ocampos sought opportunities that would allow her to serve families facing systemic barriers. An internship match facilitated by Dr. Emily Spence led her to Center for Transforming Lives — an experience that would shape her graduate education and launch her career in housing advocacy and family-centered support services.
Center for Transforming Lives is a Fort Worth-based nonprofit organization that partners with single mothers and their children to disrupt cycles of poverty and homelessness through a two-generation, trauma-informed approach. Founded in 1907, the organization provides housing support, early childhood education, counseling, and economic mobility services to families as the only homeless services provider in Tarrant County and is one of seven early childhood education centers to achieve National Accreditation. As a centralized resource for all, the center also offers clinical care, childcare, coworking spaces, networking opportunities, podcast studios and commercial kitchens for use.
After receiving a $2 million grant from the City of Fort Worth for short-term rental and utility assistance, Ocampos was transferred from research and evaluation at Center for Transforming Lives to the Housing department to manage the grant as an intake specialist. She is responsible for processing all applications for rental utility which allows individuals in need to pay any late fees related to rent and utilities for up to three months.
Her policy brief titled, “Protecting Single Mothers and Families: Reforming Texas
Eviction Law” highlights the lack of awareness many families face during the eviction
process, emphasizing that tenants still have legal options available before being
formally served by a sheriff. The brief caught the attention of her current supervisor,
ultimately leading to her full-time position and informing the recommendations outlined
in her analysis, “Locked Out in 72 Hours: A Policy Review of Eviction Law and Its
Human Cost for Texas.”
While touring UNT Health's campus for the first time, she recalls feeling at home describing the environment and the culture as “community centered.”
“As a first-generation college graduate from Houston, moving to North Texas was my first time living away from my family,” she says. Ocampos knew she wanted to pursue a career in maternal/child health after an opportunity to study global health in the Dominican Republic. It was during this trip that she made the decision to pursue graduate school.
“I love my family and who I am with them, but I wanted to discover who I was as an individual,” Ocampos said.
During moments of uncertainty, the support she found through the College of Public Health’s Office of Student and Academic Services helped her thrive academically and personally. The college’s open-door culture and the friendships she built in Fort Worth gave her a strong sense of community. Her advice to incoming students? Take every opportunity to try something new!
“Even though we [College of Public Health] are a smaller college, I never felt limited in my capacity of what I can do as a student,” Ocampos said.
In two years, Ocampos upheld leadership roles through the Public Health Minority Association, Public Health Student Government Association, UNT Health’s Student Activities Board, Advocates for Patient Safety and the curriculum committee within the College of Public Health. Building on this momentum, she leads the restructuring of the center’s financial and employment coaching programs as their employment specialist.
“I hope to one day open my own maternity and child health clinic dedicated to providing compassionate and high-quality care while changing the narrative that free healthcare means lesser care,” Ocampos said.