MALDEF’S 2026-2027 LAW SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

New York University School of Law

Alicia Terrero is a first-generation college/law student and an immigrant from the Dominican Republic. Passionate about empowering immigrant communities like those in her hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, Alicia pursued internships and work in immigration law and policy before law school. At NYU Law, she is part of the Civil Rights in Criminal Legal System Clinic, a board member of the Immigrant Rights Project, and a problem writer for the Moot Court Board’s Immigration Law Competition. Upon graduation, Alicia hopes to continue advocating for immigrant communities through impact litigation.

UCLA School of Law

Astrid Melendez is an immigrant from El Salvador. She came to the U.S. at age 13 as a result of gang violence. Astrid graduated from UCLA with majors in Political Science, Spanish, and Central American Studies. Astrid’s firsthand experience with the immigration system fueled her desire to pursue a career in public interest. At UCLA Law, Astrid is part of the Public Interest and Critical Race Studies Programs. Over the summer, Astrid externed for the Honorable Cindy Pánuco in the Los Angeles Superior Court. After graduation, Astrid hopes to pursue a career in plaintiff-side employment law or immigration.

University of Texas School of Law

Estevan Gonzalez is a first-generation college student from Corpus Christi, Texas. Raised by parents from Robstown and Corpus Christi, Estevan was taught about the Latino leaders and movements that inspired his passion for the law and social justice. In law school, Estevan proudly served as the President of the University of Texas School of Law’s Student Bar Association and was a member of the Civil Rights Clinic where he strove to make Texas Law a better community for everyone. After graduation, Estevan intends to practice law in government with a focus on voting rights or civil rights.

Vermont Law School

Delfina Anchondo is a student at Vermont Law School focused on environmental law. Her path to law school began with efforts to protect Lytle Ranch, one of Nevada’s last remaining historic Latino communities, from environmental injustice and neglect. A proud descendant of a historic Mexican American farmworker family, she carries forward a legacy of community leadership and advocacy in Nevada. Believing environmental justice is the next frontier in the fight for equality, Delfina is committed to using the law to protect vulnerable communities to build a healthier, more equitable future for future generations.

University of Michigan Law School

Arlette Garcia is the proud daughter of Nicaraguan and Cuban immigrants who grew up in Miami, where the indispensable labor of low-wage workers of color shaped her commitment to justice. A graduate of the University of Florida’s College of Journalism, she pursued advocacy through community organizing and journalism before turning to law. At the University of Michigan Law, Arlette has pursued public interest work across a range of areas, including immigration, public benefits, and constitutional law. After graduation, she will join Make the Road New York as a legal fellow, representing low-wage immigrant workers in workplace retaliation claims.

LMU Loyola Law School

Jennifer Perez is the eldest daughter of a Guatemalan immigrant who left her life behind to build a better future for her family. Inspired by her mother’s sacrifices, Jennifer realized, as an undergraduate student at UCLA, that she could honor them by using her education to serve her community. For over five years, she provided direct legal services to low-income immigrants in the San Fernando Valley through the Central American Resource Center. She later became a Public Interest Scholar at Loyola Law School, where she is building the skills to become an effective advocate for immigrant communities and access to justice.

LMU Loyola Law School

Abigail Gonzalez Avila was born in Mexico and immigrated to Los Angeles as an infant. She is a proud fellow of the Legal Education Access Pipeline and Equal Justice America. Abigail is a clinical student with the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic, where she provides direct legal services and advocates for immigrant clients. This summer, she served as a law clerk with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. As an undocumented student, Abigail hopes to inspire other immigrant law students and become an immigration attorney dedicated to advancing immigrant rights.

UC Law San Francisco

Belinda Hernandez grew up on California’s Central Coast. As a youth, she participated in farmworker and immigrant advocacy efforts, which inspired her to pursue a legal degree. After graduating from UC Berkeley, Belinda continued working in immigrant rights through several Bay Area non-profits to provide direct immigration legal services to survivors of crimes and to detained unaccompanied minors. She is now at UC Law San Francisco, where she plans to build litigation skills to support immigrant rights during and after law school.

University of Wisconsin Law School

Brianna is the proud daughter of Ecuadorian immigrants and was raised in South Central Los Angeles. Committed to honoring the diverse working-class community that shaped her upbringing, she graduated from Loyola Marymount University and became a paralegal at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. As a student at UW Law, Brianna clerked at the ACLU of Wisconsin, where she worked on litigation challenging civil immigration arrests by local sheriffs. She is now part of UW Law’s Immigrant Justice Center, where she provides legal assistance to non-citizen detainees and victims of crime. After graduation, she hopes to continue advocating for underserved communities through impact litigation and movement lawyering.

Chicago-Kent College of Law

Andrés Rizo is a second-year law student at Chicago-Kent College of Law. Born in Mexico and raised in the Chicagoland area, Andrés has dedicated his career to expanding educational opportunities for Latino students and advocating for pathways to citizenship for all long-term undocumented immigrants. As a community organizer, he mobilized Dreamers across Illinois to engage state and federal lawmakers and advocate for meaningful immigration reform. During Operation Midway Blitz, he organized key community stakeholders in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood to establish a local rapid-response network that documented and responded to immigration enforcement activities and potential civil rights violations.