MALDEF’S 2022-2023 LAW SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

Southwestern Law School

Gisell is a daughter of immigrants from Acapulco. Gisell was born and raised in Maywood, Calif. Despite her difficult upbringing, she persevered and became the first in her family to graduate from UCLA. Now, she is pursuing her law degree at Southwestern and hopes to become a criminal and immigration lawyer. At Southwestern, Gisell is an oralist for the Moot Court Honors Program and is a board member of IMPACT, an organization representing formerly incarcerated students' interests. Through her work, Gisell hopes to change the policies surrounding the criminalization of immigrants.

Harvard Law School

David Marchese is the only son of a Mexican-American mother and was raised in the Rio Grande Valley region of south Texas. David graduated from Baylor University and then worked for two years as an AmeriCorps Member at a predominantly Hispanic, low-income, Title I elementary school. After his first year at Harvard Law School, David worked close to home at MALDEF’s Southwest Regional Office on issues he’s passionate about—educational equity, voting rights, and immigration. After law school he hopes to return to Texas and pursue a career in civil rights work.

Yale Law School

Chloe Medina is a Mexican American and the youngest in her family. Growing up in Los Angeles, she was exposed to many injustices and issues that impacted her community. After obtaining a degree in Political Science from Columbia University, she understood that the legal system was the source and remedy for many of the issues harming communities like hers and applied to law school. During her time at Yale Law School, she has worked on various public interest projects and hopes to work for the government or a public-interest organization after she graduates.

University of California College of the Law, San Francisco

Jaqueline Mejía-Cuéllar is the proud daughter of Mexican and Salvadoran immigrants. She is an Oakland, Calif., native and is the first in her family to graduate from high school. Jaqueline received her B.A. in Political Science from Yale University. She worked on immigration and reproductive rights before law school. She is currently a 2L at UC Law San Francisco. This past summer, she was a judicial intern for Judge Nina R. Morrison in the Eastern District of New York. This fall, Jaqueline is interning with Centro Legal de la Raza through the UC Law Immigrants’ Rights Clinic.

Yale School of Law

Gabriela immigrated to the United States from El Salvador at the age of 16. Upon graduating high school, she became the first person in her family to attend college. Gabriela received undergraduate degrees in Ethnic and Chicano Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Gabriela’s passion for social justice led her to become actively involved in immigrant rights organizations. At Yale, she is a member of the Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic. After graduation, Gabriela will clerk in the District of Columbia Circuit. In the future, Gabriela hopes to continue engaging in immigrant justice work.

UC Berkeley School of Law

Lorena Ortega-Guerrero was raised in Oakland, Calif., by Mexican and Salvadoran immigrants. Driven by the experiences of her family and community, she is passionate about immigrants’ rights and addressing the regional issues that force individuals to flee their homes. She studied Latin American history at Yale University and worked as an Immigrant Justice Corps Community Fellow with the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition after graduation. At Berkeley Law, Lorena is a student leader for the Berkeley Immigration Group, an editor for the California Law Review, and a student advocate for the Post-Conviction Advocacy Project. Next summer, Lorena will work with the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project and hopes to pursue impact litigation after law school.

Carey Law School

Chiara Padilla Garcia was born in Montevideo, Uruguay and immigrated to the U.S. as a child. Throughout law school, Chiara has pursued civil rights work grounded in racial justice and equity as an intern with ArchCity Defender, the ACLU National Prison Project, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. At the University of Pennsylvania, Chiara served as the Co-President of the Latinx Law Students Association, as Case Chair for the Youth Advocacy Project, and as the Direct Services Coordinator for If/When/How. Chiara is committed to pursuing civil rights advocacy that empowers communities to define and achieve their liberation.

UC Berkeley School of Law

Karen Ramirez Torres was born in Michoacán, Mexico and immigrated to the U.S. with her family when she was a child. She was raised in Arizona and earned her B.A from Arizona State University. During this time, she worked at an immigration law firm and saw the importance of Spanish-speaking attorneys in overcoming the language barriers that are often present in the legal community. As a DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipient herself, she serves as co-leader of the East Bay Dreamers Project at Berkeley Law, assisting other DACA recipients with their renewal applications.

UCLA School of Law

Uriel Saldivar is the son of Mexican immigrants. Growing up in a mixed-status family and working alongside campesinos in the California Central Valley, he became passionate about understanding how laws create inequality of opportunity. After working in Sacramento spearheading legislative campaigns for Assembly member Bonta and the Community Water Center, he enrolled at UCLA Law. During law school, Uriel has worked with Best, Best, & Krieger, the Latino Policy & Politics Institute, and Unite Local 11. After law school, Uriel will return to and serve his Central Valley comunidad by working at the intersection of labor, local government, and policy.

UCLA School of Law

Evelyn Sanchez Gonzalez is the youngest daughter of a single mother from Sonora, Mexico who came to the U.S. with just a fourth-grade education, seeking greater opportunities. Evelyn has seized all opportunities to uplift her family and comunidad Latina. She is a Bowdoin College graduate, the Editor-in-Chief of UCLA School of Law’s Chicanx-Latinx Law Review, a part-time Graduate Student Researcher with UCLA’s Latino Policy & Politics Institute, and a UCLA Law Review Board Member. After graduation, Evelyn will be a class-action securities litigator in San Diego and plans to provide direct services to indigent Latine immigrant women.