The dream of becoming a lawyer started early for Lorena Valle. Her introduction to the legal world began at age seven when she and her family emigrated from Guatemala to Houston. She subsequently spent a lot of time with immigration lawyers in downtown Houston.
Now a 3L at South Texas College of Law Houston, Lorena is forging her own path as an integral part of the student community. She is a senior articles editor on the South Texas Law Review, a member of the varsity moot court team, and the creator and president of a new organization on campus: the First-Generation Law Students Association. The organization’s purpose is to “create a space for first-generation law students to access information, find support and build relationships in the legal community.”
Read on to learn more about Lorena and the impact the organization she founded has had on the law school.
On the idea for establishing a group for first-generation law students:
Although Lorena’s family worked with immigration attorneys when she was younger, her exposure to those in the legal field as a young adult was limited. After completing an undergraduate degree in agriculture from Texas A&M, she began considering law school. Though Lorena did her fair share of research, she didn’t have family members or friends who had been there before and could offer advice. “I didn’t know a single attorney before law school,” Lorena said. She got the idea to form the student organization because she saw an opportunity to fill a gap at South Texas that met the needs of students in a similar situation.
On learning from each other and the group’s early impact:
In its first year as an organization, COVID-19 concerns meant the group’s events occurred virtually. Online happy hours served as opportunities to network and learn from first-generation attorneys willing to offer advice. Lorena said one successful virtual event, Shaping Their Narratives, featured seven first-generation attorneys talking about what they learned in law school, what they wished they’d known, and different experiences they’d had. Following the school year, the First-Generation Law Students Association was recognized by the law school as an Outstanding Student Organization.
On bringing communities together and the future:
Though Lorena was the first to establish an organization for first-generation law students at South Texas, she won’t be the last to benefit from its stated mission. Asked about her future plans, Lorena said, “I want to be a bridge and be involved in the First-Generation Committee for The Houston Young Lawyers Association, passing the torch and letting 1Ls focus on areas they’re interested in.”
