Hello, It’s Me.

I feel like a negligent parent because I really thought a summer break would mean more and more written content, but that is not what happened! My bad. Last we spoke, my job was ending and I was figuring out what my next steps would be. In early May, I decided I would take the summer to figure out—really assess—what I wanted to do next. While I kept my law license active, the days of traditional practice seem behind me. Not in a “I wish I could go back” way, but rather my goals have moved past direct rep. I put in ten good years doing it and when I left my legal aid, I did so with the goal of finding a role that would strengthen my executive skills. Little did I know that in taking a role within city government that I would be stepping into unprecedented crisis after crisis. So yeah, I definitely got to flex those executive skills and then some.

The past four years opened my eyes to just how broad the landscape is in terms or where and how I can use my skills. And I am a big believer that a lawyer is a lawyer is a lawyer, regardless of where we go, so I’m not too sad about not practicing because I use my legal training all the time. But to figure out what’s next, I’ve been meeting with tons of people to hear about their work, ask questions, and receive guidance from folks I admire. I’m really grateful for their time and willingness to meet. It has been empowering and eye-opening. Even if you’re not on a break, having those one on ones is so helpful and something I’m going to keep doing regardless of where I end up. As of now, I’m still reflecting on next steps, but excited about what’s in the horizon.

At the same time, enough weeks have passed for me to admit that the past four years were rough and physically draining. I was tired, my stress levels through the roof, and a whacked out sleep scheduled. At one of my last events, I met a nurse who encouraged me to rest, explaining that there is a physiological reaction to leaving a job and I needed to recognize how my body would react. I’m so glad she explained that to me because it clarified a lot of how I felt both this past spring and even back when I left my last job in ‘19. So I took her advice to heart and rested a lot. I napped, I read, I lounged, I didn’t have to think immediately upon waking up about solving some emergency. It was incredible. And a complete privilege, I definitely know that.

And maybe because I know that this time is a gift, I didn’t want to “waste” it on just resting (bc god forbid we take real breaks, right?). Instead, in between rest and coffee dates, I have been working on a long-term goal of mine—creating a guidebook for aspiring attorneys using content from this site. I’m really excited. It’s an interactive guidebook, which means there’s worksheets! It’s content from this site and some new information as well. This is a navigation tool that someone uses from beginning to the start of law school. And when I say beginning, I don’t just mean registering for the LSAT or starting the application process, I mean what is more traditionally the beginning for Latinas considering law—asking ourselves if we even have the capacity to get to law school and wading through those considerations and barriers.

It’s not final and I still need to figure out logistics, etc. but for Latinas Uprising’s ninth anniversary, it was time to finally share this project and celebrate how far we’ve come! Back in 2014, when I was just a little legal aid lawyer, and had an a-ha moment to create this site, never did I think it would evolve into this.

So thank you for being part of this community! We will continue to grow together!