Scholar Entries - Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund of Illinois

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Are you a past recipient of an Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund award?

Yes

Name

Gabryella Carrelli

Current Mailing Address

111 West Polk Street
Apt 704
Chicago, IL 60605
United States
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Phone

(830) 312-8186

Connection to Illinois

I am a 2L at the University of Chicago Law School.

In what city do you intend to practice law upon graduation?

I hope to stay in Chicago! I accepted my 2L summer offer with Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago.

Name of Law School

The University of Chicago Law School

Class year

2nd year law student

Full Time or Part Time Student?

Full Time

Date you began attending THIS law school

09/24/2024

Anticipated Graduation Date

06/06/2027

Current GPA

N/A

Law School Class Rank (if known)

N/A The University of Chicago Law School does not provide GPA/Class Rank

Law School Honors, Awards or Special Recognitions

The University of Chicago Law School, Chicago, Illinois
J.D., expected June 2027
● The University of Chicago Law Review, Staff Member (2025-2026)
● Women’s Law Caucus, Co-Vice President (2025-2026), 1L Elected Representative (2024-2025)
● Latine Law Students Association, Marketing Director (2025-2026), 1L Representative (2024-2025)
● Dean’s Fellow (2025-2026)
● Recipient of the Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund of Illinois 2025 Scholarship

Name of Undergraduate Institution

Texas State University

Degree (BA, BSE, etc.) and Concentration/Major

B.A. in World Languages and Literature | Minor in Music and Honors Studies

Undergraduate Graduation Date

06/06/2021

GPA

Undergraduate Honors, Awards, or Special Recognitions

B.A. in World Languages and Literature | Minor in Music and Honors Studies | Summa cum laude, May 2021
● Honors College, Dean’s List, Council of Scholars, Undergraduate Research Presenter, Academic Achievement
Awards for the College of Fine Arts and Communication, Sigma Alpha Iota Board Member, and published
research thesis on women and the French Revolution.

Were you employed in 2025?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

I was a Summer Associate at Jones Day in Chicago. Otherwise, I was unemployed and a full-time student.

What was your immediate family’s (including you and your spouse or domestic partner, if applicable) estimated income from all sources for the 2025 Tax Year?

$40,000 (before taxes)

Do you expect to be employed in 2026?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

I will be a Summer Associate at Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago.

Please estimate your immediate family’s (including you and your spouse or domestic partner, if applicable) income from all sources for the 2026 Tax year

$40,000 (before taxes)

Please estimate your parent's average annual household income over the last five years

$150,000

Do your parents own or rent their home? Please describe, if necessary

Own

Describe your parents' health insurance situation. Do they have employer-sponsored health insurance, health insurance through the exchange, or no health insurance?

They are insured through my dad's employer. I am not on the same plan.

LIST below your total EXPENSES for attending law school for ONE YEAR (Please refer to example in FAQs)

Total Tuition Cost $

$83,316

Books Cost $

$2,000

Fees Cost $

$2,000

Housing Cost $

$23,000

Food Cost $

$10,000

Other Costs $ (describe)

Car: $1000; Health Insurance: $4000

Total Expenses $ (add above entries)

$125,315

LIST below your total FUNDING sources you plan to use to pay for these expenses (Please refer to example in FAQs)

Student Loans $

$106,163

Scholarships and Grants $

$15,000

Work Study, if any $

Personal Contribution (Savings/Employment) $

Family Contribution $ (include parents, spouse, partner, etc.)

Other Sources $ (describe)

Total Funding $ (add above entries)

$121,163

For 2Ls and 3Ls, what is your current TOTAL loan debt from the previous law school years?

$240,000

Please list any community service activities with which you have been involved in the last ten years, paying particular attention to activities in support of the Hispanic community. For each activity, please include the dates of your participation, a short description of the organization and the community they serve, and a description of the activity you performed to help them. (Please read FAQs before completing)

Over the past 10 years, I have been actively involved in a wide range of community service activities. This year, I became a Dean’s Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School. (May 2025) In this role, each 1L is paired with a mentor, and I currently mentor 16 first-year law students. Through this program, I host office hours, organize group activities, and meet with mentees both on and off campus to provide academic and personal support. In addition, I serve as a mentor for the Latine Law Students Association. (September 2025)

Prior to law school, I devoted significant time to volunteering within my Texas immigrant community, assisting with immigration appointments and applications, and connecting individuals with additional resources. (2020) During my undergraduate and high school years, I also worked as a tutor at low-income schools, primarily serving minority communities by supporting students in music, reading, writing, and math. (2016)

Please provide a statement describing your background and focus your statement on your reasons for pursuing a legal career and your legal career goals. This statement is important. Please give it appropriate attention. (min. 1000 characters) (Please read FAQs before completing)

I am a first-generation law student, which comes with substantial responsibility and challenges. I am financing my legal education independently and have experienced firsthand how difficult law school can be without the institutional knowledge that comes from having lawyers in one’s family or community. When I decided to attend law school, I had three guiding goals in mind: supporting my family, giving back to my community, and paving a path forward so that law school is not a barrier for future students who look like me and come from similar backgrounds.
My long-term goal is to create a program that supports Latinas who aspire to attend law school. Latinas remain among the most underrepresented groups in the legal profession, particularly as practicing attorneys. During my own law school application and recruiting processes, I struggled to find mentors who understood my background as both a woman and someone from a Latino community. English is my second language, and the transition into legal education was especially challenging. Navigating recruitment and learning the language of big law without meaningful mentorship was difficult, but through that process I developed skills that I now share with my 1L mentees. These experiences underscored the need for targeted mentorship and institutional support. My vision is to build a program that provides resources, financial assistance, and mentorship so that future Latinas do not face the same obstacles I encountered while pursuing law school at the University of Chicago.
I hope to increase access to information and resources so that the cost and uncertainty of the law school application process are not barriers to entry. I also want the program to include mentorship throughout the first year of law school. It took me two quarters to feel a sense of belonging, as there were very few students from similar backgrounds, and I often felt like an imposter. I do not want future Latina law students to feel isolated in the same way.
This past year, however, has been a profound turning point for me. I have gained clarity about how I want to use my law degree. I am deeply grateful to be at the University of Chicago, where I will graduate with a degree that provides a level of opportunity and privilege beyond what anyone in my family has previously experienced. At the same time, I am acutely aware of the significant racial and wealth disparities in Chicago.
As I explored how to put my legal education into practice, I received opportunities to become involved in criminal justice reform efforts in the city. I hope to use my law degree to increase access to justice. Once I become 711 eligible, I plan to obtain my license and volunteer with the Public Defender’s Office in Chicago. Although I plan to work at a law firm, I intend to remain deeply engaged in criminal defense work through pro bono representation and to ensure that individuals receive high-quality legal advocacy during some of the most frightening and pivotal moments of their lives.
I received this scholarship last year and I am so grateful for that gift. It helped me pay for school and relieve some of the financial pressure that comes with taking out student loans. As someone putting themselves through law school without any familial assistance, I am incredibly grateful for the support I received from the Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund of Illinois.

Please upload a copy of your financial award letter labeled as follows: LastName.FirstName.FinAwardLtr*

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Carrelli.Gabryella.FinAward.pdf

Please upload a copy of your resume labeled as follows: LastName.FirstName.Resume*

Please upload a copy of your law school transcript labeled as follows: LastName.FirstName.LSTranscript*