Family is everything to Gisela Soto, a second-year law student and president of the Lawtina Network at South Texas College of Law Houston — including her introduction to the field of law.
“My aunt, an attorney, took me under her wing and showed me how interesting a career in law could be,” Soto said. “It also became clear just how daunting the legal system could be for a lay person. I realized I wanted to help others better understand and navigate that system.”
After graduating from Sam Houston State University with a degree in political science, Soto set her sights on Houston for her legal education — a big move coming from the small town of La Vernia.
When Soto researched law schools in the area, the rich multiculturality of South Texas Law struck a chord with her. With no family in the city, the promise of community was a key driver that led her to choose STCL Houston.
Soto experienced that sense of community during what was initially an overwhelming first semester. In an introductory meeting with the Lawtina Network, the leaders invited her in, assuaged her fears, and gave her the comforting feeling of family she’d been missing.
“They immediately made me feel at home,” Soto said. “They became my sisters.”
When she was chosen as a 1L representative for the organization, Soto was thrilled to gain a leadership role with the organization that had become so important to her. That year of higher engagement piqued her interest, inspiring her to find more ways to lead and serve.
“I wanted to continue paying the Lawtina leaders’ kindness forward — to be students’ sense of comfort in what can be an overwhelming environment,” she said. She was elected to serve as president for the 2025-26 academic year, and she plans to use her time in office to help the organization grow.
Over the summer, Soto and the other Lawtina officers developed a new initiative: the Lawtina Network Connections Bank — a database of attorneys who are willing and able to act as prospective mentors for members of the organization.
“Cold calling can be overwhelming for students, and full-time mentorship can be too big of a commitment for attorneys,” she said. “In the Connections Bank, an attorney’s availability, area of practice, and preferred mentorship style is listed, which eliminates uncertainty on both ends.”
In addition to her work with Lawtina, Soto is juggling fall classes, an internship with DeHoyo’s Accident Attorneys that began in the summer, and her responsibilities as the STCL Houston Golf Association’s marketing chair. A high achiever by nature, Soto hopes to inspire her family and make them proud by setting a high bar for herself and accomplishing bold goals.
“My parents have been through a lot of hardships, and it’s their hard work that helped me get where I am today,” she said. “My younger sisters help motivate me to be a leader. I want to show them that anything is possible, that we can come in from these small towns and lead programs at prestigious schools like South Texas Law.”
Soto is dedicated to giving back to the community and to the legal profession, especially recognizing that Latinas currently make up only 2% of all practicing attorneys. She hopes to play a role in helping that number soar.
“My aunt operates her own firm, and one day, I’d like to do the same,” she said. “I want to take my accomplishments and knowledge from law school leadership and apply them to an organization of my own, one with a focus on employing Latina attorneys.”
Drawn to the practice of personal injury but bound by a sense of duty to work in fields like immigration law, Soto envisions her firm being broad in its outreach, serving the community in myriad ways.
“I want to give back to the communities that have supported me along the way,” Soto said. “No matter what direction my career goes, I want to help as many people as I can.”
