We believe, more than ever, our young leaders need to stand united by passion and driven by purpose. In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, we have to find more innovative ways to accomplish this task. The Law School… Yes We Can organization has been diligently working to bring you the digital version of:
We appreciate your patience as we processed through the details and challenges of converting our Fundraiser to a virtual event. We remain committed to equip and unite the leaders who will shape the future of the legal profession. We hope you enjoy hearing from our inspiring and dedicated speakers!
Law School… Yes We Can started with the Arguello Dream Catchers and a group of lawyers led by Judge Arguello who interacted with hundreds of Colorado young people to encourage them to pursue a higher education, in general, and a legal degree, in particular.
Judge Arguello’s Welcome Address for Law School… Yes We Can’s 2020 Building Futures Virtual Event
Welcome! I wish I were speaking to you live but alas nature has intervened and I am forced to address you via this recorded message. Nonetheless, I want to thank you for taking the time to join us as we celebrate the achievements of Law School Yes We Can, but more importantly, the achievements of our Fellows.
When we began Law School...Yes We Can in 2014, we knew that we were engaging in a project that would take us until 2020—at the earliest—to begin to see the tangible results of our efforts. We needed seven years because that is the amount of time it takes a student to complete four years of college and three years of law school. In the start-up nonprofit world, the inability to show tangible results for such a lengthy period of time is usually a death knell for that nonprofit. Nonetheless, we believed in our mission and we believed that everyone in our Colorado community would all pitch in to do our part.
I first learned the phrase—“we all do our part”—from my father when I was just a little girl and he was trying to explain to me why I had to stop playing and help with the work of the family. But he said it in Spanish—todos ponemos nuestro granito de arena—literally, we all put in our little grain of sand—so that the work could be done.
That Spanish phrase conjures an image that beautifully captures how and why Law School...Yes We Can has succeeded. For it is in the slow, seven-year accumulation of those granitos de arena—those little grains of sand—that our fellows have been transformed into the diverse leaders that our legal profession needs.
These granitos include late-night calls of reassurance against the culture shock of a college campus that can feel horribly foreign to a first-generation student. They include extra review for a fellow’s final paper, a door that was opened to a Fellow for an internship, or a simple, “I know you can do it,” spoken by a person that the Fellow has come to respect and admire.
You can feel the mountains of granitos forming in our networking events—from the social capital that would otherwise be inaccessible to our Fellows and from the confidence that these events inspire in our fellows.
And after seven years, our work is bearing much fruit. Two of the Fellows in our inaugural class are almost finished with law school. Viridiana Valdez, is a rising 3L at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, while Tomás Manriquez-Hernandez, is a rising 3L at the University of Colorado School of Law.
Meanwhile, Larissa Alire, who is a Fellow in the Law School...Yes We Can Class of 2016, will be starting at CU Law this coming fall on a full-tuition scholarship. She is also a recipient of the 2019 Truman Scholarship, which is the premier graduate scholarship for aspiring public service leaders in the United States.
Viry, Tomás, and Larissa are first-generation high school and college graduates. Their admission to law school alone—where first-generation high school graduates are a serious rarity—is a spectacular achievement that can hardly be overstated. Yet these three fellows, whom you will hear from later, are also well aware that their success is due not only to their hard work, but because of your support. They and we thank you for that support.
It is my hope that what you see in our virtual 2020 Building Futures event will persuade you that Law School…Yes We Can—with the constant, reassuring support it provides to its Fellows—continues to be the best means of filling the “diversity” void with which the Colorado legal community has battled for years.
And we also recognize that our organization has survived because of your support. This organization’s founders knew that start-up nonprofits like ours had a life expectancy of less than 3 years. But we were determined and thanks to your belief in our Mission, the hard work of the Fellows, their mentors, the Board, and our Executive Director, and the continuing financial contributions of all our supporters, Law School...Yes We Can is steadfast and strong in its goal of advancing inclusiveness in the legal profession by equipping students for their journey to law school and beyond.
We are sorry that we could not celebrate together in person with you. But I hope that after you hear from our other speakers, you will agree that this virtual event, while not the same as an in person event, is a close second. We are immensely grateful for all those who organized this Virtual Building Futures Event. I want to especially thank LaLonnie Gray, the Chair of our Fundraising Committee; Maria Arias, our Executive Director; Jason Marquez, our fearless leader and President of the Board, his tech-savvy assistant Katie Brennan. I also want to thank the Silent Auction Committee – cochairs Eliz Padilla and Philip Nickerson and committee members Marianella Namlick, Cybelle Floyd, Christine Hoffman, and Carolina Luna for their hard work in putting together an incredible array of items for our silent auction. I hope that, after you listen to all of our speakers, you will click on the silent auction link. I am sure there is something that will catch your eye. I have my eye on the Costa Rica package!
Thank you for your continued support of Law School...Yes We Can and its mission—for all those granitos de arena you have provided to these deserving young people and our organization. I look forward to seeing you all at the 2020 Kick-off where you will get to meet the Class of 2020 Law School...Yes We Can Fellows.
SPEAKERS
Jason A. Márquez, Esq.
LSYWC President of the Board of Directors
Jason brings a fresh perspective to LSYWC from his roles as Director and In-House Counsel at JSJ Corp. and Senior Partner at Johnson Márquez Legal Group. He is currently the owner of Márquez Law in Denver, providing family law and criminal defense legal services. His commitment to diversity is evident in both his personal and professional life as an advocate for non-traditional families and marginalized youth. His active involvement and directive leadership is paramount to LSYWC’s mission, vision, and direction forward.
The Honorable Christine M. Arguello
LSYWC Founder
Judge Arguello was sworn in as a Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado in 2008. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Center for Legal Inclusiveness and was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Colorado Latino Hall of Fame in 2019. She has received awards from a number of organizations including: the Latinas First Foundation, the University of Colorado School of Law, and the Colorado Women’s Bar Association.
Larrisa Alire
LSYWC Class of 2016 Fellow
Larrisa is a first generation college student who is attending Coe College, majoring in Political Science. Larrisa aspires to become a district attorney because she wants to help speak for people who have yet to find their voice. She values LSYWC’s assistance in her career and life journey. She truly looks forward to continued interactions with other LSYWC Fellows who share ambitions similar to her own. Larrisa plans to attend CU Law School beginning in the Fall of 2020 on a full ride scholarship!
Viridiana Valdez
LSYWC Class of 2014 Fellow
Viridiana’s dream to become an attorney arose from her love of helping people. As she began applying for college, she became discouraged and questioned her career goal of becoming an attorney until she heard of LSYWC. Her dedication to LSYWC comes from her belief that LSYWC has opened doors and encourages anyone thinking about attending law school to take part in this program. Viridiana is the first in her family to have graduated from college and is currently a 2L at Sturm College of Law in Denver, Colorado.
Tomas Manriquez Hernandez
LSYWC Class of 2016 Fellow
Tomas graduated from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, where he double-majored in Political Philosophy and Citizenship and Civic Engagement. He intends to take these law and policy studies and effect change not only among his closest circles, but also in the communities that have raised him. Thanks to LSYWC, Tomas has gained access to mentors and role models who have succeeded and strived to better their communities. Tomas is currently a 2L at University of Colorado Law School in Boulder, Colorado.
Maria G. Arias
LSYWC Executive Director
Ms. Arias currently consults for organizations like LSYWC, focusing on inclusion initiatives. She was the first VP of Diversity & Inclusiveness for Comcast Corporation and VP of cable operations for Southern Colorado. She has held legal and government affairs leadership positions at AT&T Corp and Adelphia Communications. She also was an income partner with the law firm McDermott, Will & Energy in Chicago, IL, specializing in litigation.
100% of Donations will go to ensuring LSYWC’s Operations in 2020
MENTORS
“I understand the adage that talent is equally distributed but opportunity is not. I subscribe to the idea that great mentorship will open up opportunity to those that will capitalize in a way that will benefit not only them, but also the greater community. My hope, from mentoring, is to gain experience as a teacher in an informal setting and to give opportunity to future leaders that then will become part of my community and network, further fortifying a group effort to better our profession as well as make it more accessible. This is something I truly feel is necessary for our futures.”
SPONSORS
BENEFACTORS - $10,000
PARTNERS - $5,000+
ADVOCATES - $3,000+
ALLIES - $1,500+
SUPPORTERS - $1,000+
SUPPORTERS - $500
Interested in sponsoring? Contact info@lawschoolyeswecan.org
FUNDRAISING TEAM
Thank you to our Fundraising Team for your hard work with communicating our mission
to our generous sponsors and putting together a wonderful array of items for our virtual silent auction!
LaLonnie Gray
LSYWC VP of the Board of Directors
LaLonnie is an attorney at Fisher Phillips and defends claims brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Equal Pay Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VII, Title IX, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Colorado Wage Act, and Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act. She has served as judicial law clerk to Hon. Christine M. Arguello. She earned her law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law where she served on the executive board of the Denver University Law Review.
Franz Hardy
LSYWC Board of Directors
Mr. Hardy has held various leadership positions
within in the legal community, including the past
president of the Denver Bar Association, Chair of the
University of Colorado Law School Alumni Board, and
past President of the Asian Pacific American Bar
Association of Colorado. As current Chair of Gordon &
Rees LLP's Diversity Committee, he helps guide the
firm’s award-winning commitment to diversity and
inclusiveness in more than forty offices. Mr. Hardy is a
frequent author and lecturer on various topics
affecting attorneys and the practice of law, including
ethics, privileges, confidentiality, and diversity.
Phillip Nickerson
Term Law Clerk, United States District Court for the District of Colorado
After clerking, Mr. Nickerson will join Davis Graham &
Stubbs LLP as an associate in their trial group. He
volunteers with a number of civic organizations in
Denver, including a position on the Executive Council of
the Colorado Bar Association Young Lawyer's Division.
Philip earned his JD/MBA from the University of Denver
Sturm College of Law where he was the Managing &
Production Editor of the Denver Journal of International
Law and Policy and a Senior Editor on the Denver Law
Review.
Eliz Padilla
Lead Legal Assistant, Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
Ms. Padilla manages cases and trials pertaining to
workplace safety. Prior to her work in workplace
safety law, she worked extensively in family law
litigation. She has served on other charity and non-
profit boards that serve the local Denver community,
and has since brought her fundraising experience to
LSYWC. Ms. Padilla is a recent graduate from
Metropolitan State University of Denver and is an
aspiring law student for the upcoming Fall semester.
Christine Hoffman
LSYWC Program Manager
Ms. Hoffman has a master’s degree in Higher
Education Administration with a focus in Student
Affairs and Social Justice. She has a passion for
supporting growth and personal development of
underrepresented populations with diverse
backgrounds. She has previously focused on work
centered in leadership development, community
engagement, student resources and outreach, as
well as research-based statistics.
Carolina Luna Casas
Legal Assistant, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network
Ms. Luna Casas is a LSYWC Class of 2015 Fellow. She
developed an interest in the legal field through
Arrupe Jesuit High School’s mock trial team which
introduced her to Judge Arguello and LSYWC. As
a first generation student, Carolina gained valuable
support throughout college from her LSYWC Mentors
and graduated summa cum laude from Loyola
University Chicago where she studied history and
international studies with an environmental policy
minor.
Marianella Namlick, Esq.
Attorney, Criminal Law
Ms. Namlick is an attorney licensed in Peru and South
Carolina. Her passion for Criminal Law has allowed
her to help Victims of Domestic Violence, working on
both sides of the criminal litigation process with the
District Attorney's Office and with private defense
attorneys. She has an LL.M. in International Business
Transactions along with a J.D. degree from the
University of Denver Sturm College of Law where she
was a chair of communication of the Spanish
Speakers Law Student Association.
Cybelle Galan-Floyd
Law Student, University of Denver Sturm College of Law
Ms. Galan-Floyd is a third-year law student at the
University of Denver Sturm College of Law. She is
currently the President of the Latino Law Student
Association and is a Student Representative for the Colorado Hispanic Bar
Association. She also
worked as an intern for the Honorable Christine M.
Arguello.