July 31, 2019

Relationships

July 31, 2019/ LAW SCHOOL … Sí Se Puede

By Jesus Madrigal, Fellow Class of 2018
Colorado State University

Law School Yes We Can has shown nothing but support ever since I was accepted into the program in 2018. My mentors have become my champions and are the people that I can count on 100 percent of the time whenever I’m dealing with the challenges of being the first-ever to attend college in my family, including being away, for the first time ever, from my family. Not only do my three champions make time to meet with me as a group, but they individually reach out to make sure that I’m adjusting well to college and overall life. Without the program I would have never met such amazing people; without a doubt, the biggest benefit I have gained from LSYWC are my three committed champions. Each champion brings a diverse perspective that has been instrumental to my growth over the past year: two are diverse men and one is a female first-generation/first to attend college. Each is at a different stage in his/her legal career and we have found that we have a lot to learn from each other.

The event or workshop that has impacted me the most and the way I viewed law school and its process was the LSAT practice exam. I had never even looked at an LSAT exam nor did I know what the questions were going to be about. Once I sat down and started to take the exam I thought to myself, “Is this truly what you want to do?” I had never questioned my commitment to being a lawyer until that very moment. Since elementary school, my focus has been to become a lawyer but the practice exam made me re-examine how I envisioned my life ten years down the road. Once I finished the LSAT practice test I took the long drive home and had time to think about what I wanted to do with my life. I realized that the fear I was experiencing during the drive home correlated to my overarching fear: being a DACA student.

By the time I was accepted into LSYWC I was still unsure of which college I was going to attend. Being a DACA student I had more hoops to jump through to attend college than most students did. While I’ve never used my status as an excuse, but it did cause me to be afraid. Afraid because I worked extremely hard during high school to earn high marks so I could make it into a “good” university. I was afraid of failure and not accomplishing my dreams. I realized during my drive home from taking the practice LSAT that I was likely experiencing the same fear that I would feel when it comes time to apply to law school. I overcame my major fear once; during the drive home I became resolute to overcome it again.

When I was accepted into the LSYWC program I felt a huge sense of accomplishment. Not only did it mean the world to me when I was accepted, but it also meant a lot to my parents who knew that the program would put me on the path of my dream of becoming an attorney, a dream I’ve held since arriving in the U.S. I see LSYWC as a stepping stone to help me achieve my dream. I cannot wait for the day when I become a LSYWC law student mentor and then an attorney mentor. Helping me achieve my dream will allow me to pay it forward. Thank you LSYWC.

“Sí, Se Puede” is a phrase born of farmworkers, who, under the leadership of the UFW, César Chávez, and Dolores Huerta, fought valiantly for equal protection under the law. As a result of the efforts of the UFW, “Sí, Se Puede” has become well known as a call that engenders hope and inspiration in those who face similar battles. We thank the UFW, whom we acknowledge to be the sole and exclusive owner of the Trademark SI SE PUEDE, for granting us a limited license to use“Sí, Se Puede” in connection with our efforts to recruit, in Colorado, students of Hispanic or Latino descent for our law school pipeline program. For more information about the programs offered by the UFW, please see UFW’s webpage (www.ufw.org); UFW Foundation’s webpage (www.ufwfoundation.org); and UFWF’s immigration services webpage (www.sisepuede.org)