Ofelia de los Santos was born in Edinburg, Texas to an immigrant father and a mother who had been a migrant. She grew up in Pharr, Texas and graduated from PSJA in the top 10% of her class. She was a member of National Honor Society and active in various other organizations. Due to her family's economic situation, she began working right out of high school and was married three years later.

The value of an education became evident to Mrs. De los Santos soon after marriage and she worked as a secretary for 13 years while her husband, Miguel pursued a Master's and then a Doctoral degree. When he accomplished his goal and became a superintendent at age 34, it was her turn. She enrolled at what was then Pan American University in 1982. She earned a degree in Government while tending to her 3 young children, ages 1, 3 and 9 at the time.

In 1988, when Dr. de los Santos took a job as a Deputy Superintendent in Houston, Texas, Mrs. De los Santos was accepted to law school. Once again she avidly pursued a new degree while raising her children who were now 10, 12 and 18. She finished law school in 1991 and worked for federal Judge Filemon B. Vela in Brownsville. In 1993, she opened her own office in her hometown of Edinburg.

For 10 years, Mrs. De los Santos represented indigent clients (people who could not afford to hire a lawyer) in the area of criminal law. She also represented many children removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect. During this time in her career, Mrs. De los Santos also ran for office and served on the city council of Edinburg for 7 years. She was also appointed by Texas Governor Ann Richards to serve on a state commission for 6 years. She was the first Hispanic woman to serve on the General Services Commission.

Mrs. De los Santos has received numerous awards and appointments over her career but perhaps the one she is most proud of is recognition by the State Bar of Texas for her contributions in the area of free legal services to the poor.

From April 2002 to October, 2004, Mrs. de los Santos worked as a partner in the law firm of, Rodriguez, Tovar & de los Santos, L.L.P. in McAllen, Texas. From May 2005 to July 2006, Mrs. de los Santos worked as the Organizational Program Development Director for L.U.P.E., a non-profit organization founded by farmworker leader Cesar E. Chavez and dedicated to community organizing and self-help programs for low-income families. Now retired from the practice of law, Mrs. De los Santos presently teaches at the University of Texas – Pan American in Edinburg.

Mrs. De los Santos believes that each one of us has a unique calling from God and hers is to advocate for people. She is a frequent speaker in the public schools on the importance of pursuing an education and searching out ones' purpose in life.