Data collection and reporting challenges too often “erase” people and betray our values. We have to do better in order to make change real.
By Kristin Theis-Alvarez
By Kristin Theis-Alvarez
Diversity in Law
Carlos Cedillo-Silva saw a legal education as a far-fetched dream, but a summer in the PLUS Program turned his burden into a reality.
Ryan Odibo says he feels a lot of different pressures to be successful in life and his career. Now a junior at Virginia Tech, Odibo is aiming to be the first in his family to graduate from college.
There are many ways to make an impact in law, but one we don’t often hear much about is how people become judges and justices. During a recent LSAC webinar, I was joined by two women who took unique paths in law and are now breaking barriers as members of the judiciary, along with a third pathbreaker who now works to help law school candidates make their own successful transitions to the legal profession.
Keni Anthony says she’s always wanted to attend a historically Black university. “Ever since I was little, watching my auntie walk across the stage at Savannah State, I knew from that age that that would be me,” she says.
Amena Kheshtchin-Kamel has always been good at telling stories. As a first-generation American, she says she was always drawn to “expressing my voice, and also helping others find their voices.” That was part of what led her to pursue a legal education, and while the kind of storytelling she’s doing now might surprise you, it’s a reminder that a law degree can open doors just about anywhere.
Victoria Esparza saw her life upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a senior studying political science and Spanish at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Esparza hoped to enter law school the fall after graduation. But financial hardships related to the pandemic, and needing to care for her younger sister while their mother worked, forced her to delay her plans.
Starr Gibens, a third-year student at North Carolina State University, was interested in a legal education before she attended an online Prelaw Undergraduate Scholars (PLUS) Program. After attending, though, she had no doubt law was in her future.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and this year’s observance of this important event is particularly special: It’s the 75th such observance, and it coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. At LSAC, we’re committed to helping people from all backgrounds, including those with disabilities, pursue their dreams of legal education and add their diverse voices to our justice system.
In line with our ongoing commitment to DEI, we launched the LSAC Justice Hour series. This webinar series explores some of today’s most important issues with a goal of working together for true equity and positive change.