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A Spark: Books that Empower Latinas
So, the sad truth is there are many Latina authors, but they are not supported and very rarely get the same backing as other authors. That’s why it feels rare to read a book by Latinas. I’ve mentioned before that I’ve edited my social media followings to include mostly & primarily women of color. When I think about it, I realize it stems from my reading habits. Like most of you, I love reading and when I was little, the library was our refuge. My mom would take me to the local library and it would provide solace and peace away from homes that were, at times, tumultuous. I was…
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Landing the Job: It’s the Little Things
It’s job hunting season for many of you. Whether you’re in law school and prepping for your next summer gig, a 3L looking for a fall fellowship, or a recent grad waiting to for Bar results you need to make sure you showcase yourself as a top candidate. When I was first starting out, I had never written a cover letter before–I had never had a professional job and all my internships in college had been obtained informally. I didn’t know the importance of a good cover letter or resume. Thankfully, I had a good career counselor who had strongly held beliefs about what cover letters should look like and…
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Sidebar: So Many Parties
August was a whirlwind. There was a lot of events left and right, both at work and home. At work, we had like a million going away parties–ok, just four, but still a massive amount. We’ve had a lot of turnover lately for various reasons and of course that means we have goodbye parties for everyone. And while I like all my coworkers, just like Animal Farm, some are more liked than others lol #kanyeshrug. Meaning, I was really bummed when one of them left b/c we were work buds. But that is the life of legal aid–people come and go all the time. In the meantime, I super enjoyed…
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To Be or Not to Be: The Problem With Gender Roles & Sexism in the Courtroom
I just finished reading two articles that I recommend people read about women litigators and issues they face at work. One is from The Atlantic and the other is a response in the ABA Journal. Each article tackles how women, who make up a dismal percentage of lead counsel/first chairs in trials, can push back against sexism in the courtroom to win for their client. The article in The Atlantic, written by Lara Bazelon–a former Federal Public Defender and Clinical Professor, suggests that women face such systemic sexism in every area of the courtroom that it behooves us to abide by gender roles so that we’re not seen as too…
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What Beyonce Teaches Us About Power
Have you heard the Good News? Beyonce is on the cover of Vogue, September Edition. Not only that, she discusses so much of her private life that makes me love her even more. Not only that, but she had complete control and decided to use that control to hire a relatively unknown young, Black photographer to shoot the cover. The first black photographer in the magazine’s entire history (embarrassing). Beyonce said: If people in powerful positions continue to hire and cast only people who look like them, sound like them, come from the same neighborhoods they grew up in, they will never have a greater understanding of experiences different from…
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SideBar: Four Years In {Anniversary Post}
Four years ago, Latinas Uprising went live! I never, ever dreamed of how this community would unfold and how passionate I would become about diversity in the legal field. This site is a labor of love, and it brings me so much joy to work on it, little by little, everyday. Mil, mil, mil, mil gracias! I want to share four questions I had to think about during these past four years: One. Is there a need? The biggest question I had when I started this was whether or not there was an audience. I knew I had struggled in law school and even when I did my research, I…
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Summer Series: Your Experience is Your Strength
Our Summer Series winds down, and what an amazing summer tho! This series highlights different Latina students and law grads as they embark in their summer jobs and/or bar prep all across the country. This series provides a variety of work experiences, options for a healthy work-life balance, and general motivation through different guest contributors to help you to take charge of your summer and professional goals! Today we also hear from Noelia, a rising 3L who is leaving her career as a teacher behind to commit, full-steam ahead, to becoming an attorney. She shares her summer experience, the lessons learned, and the expertise she brings to our profession as an educator and advocate…
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Summer Series: Mastering the In-House Track
Our Summer Series continues! This series highlights different Latina students and law grads as they embark in their summer jobs and/or bar prep all across the country. We hope to provide a variety of work experiences, options for a healthy work-life balance, and general motivation through different guest contributors to help you to take charge of your summer and professional goals! Today we also hear from Yadilsa, a rising 2L who spent her summer doing working as an in-house intern. She shares the amazing lessons she’s learned in private practice that will propel her career forward! Hi, my name is Yadilsa Diaz and I am a rising 2L at Rutgers Law School in Newark,…
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Summer Series: What Matters is the Student
Our Summer Series continues! This series highlights different Latina students and law grads as they embark in their summer jobs and/or bar prep all across the country. We hope to provide a variety of work experiences, options for a healthy work-life balance, and general motivation through different guest contributors to help you to take charge of your summer and professional goals! Today we also hear from Lizette, incoming 1L law student who does such a great job describing the struggle, commitment, and triumph so many of us endure to reach our goals! For me law school was a dream; a vision that I wanted. After almost 15 years of wishing and working I…
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Am I In This Alone? Navigating Feelings of Isolation as a PreLaw Student
One of the emotional barriers we have to overcome when we start the law school application process is the loneliness and feelings of isolation. It’s likely that very few of your friends or family will have gone through this process. When you’re starting a path less traveled, it’s normal to feel like you have no one to turn to for practical advice, or that no one understands the stress you’re experiencing, or generally feel like it’s so unfair that you have to navigate this process all alone. When no one else has succeed in the goal you’re setting off to achieve, it feels daunting. There will be moments that you…