Scholar Entries - Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund of Illinois

← Go back

EmailEmail hidden; Javascript is required.

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

Name

Kenna Flores

Current Mailing Address

244 E. Pearson Street
Chicago, IL 60611
United States
Map It

If mailing address is temporary, expected date when current mailing address is no longer valid

05/07/2026

Permanent Address (only if different from Current Mailing Address)

1322 Lurline Lane
Tustin, CA 92780
United States
Map It

Phone

(714) 488-7414

Connection to Illinois

I attended undergraduate school and currently attend law school in Chicago. I also have family membe

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

Chicago.

Name of Law School

Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

Class year

2nd year law student

Full Time or Part Time Student?

Full Time

Date you began attending THIS law school

08/20/2024

Anticipated Graduation Date

05/15/2027

Current GPA

3.55

Law School Class Rank (if known)

N/A

Law School Honors, Awards or Special Recognitions

Dean's List
Early Decision Merit Scholarship
Latinx History and Culture Endowed Scholarship
Rivkin Law and Public Advocacy Fellow
Supporting Legal Access to a Legal Education (SCALE) Fellow

Name of Undergraduate Institution

Illinois Institute of Technology

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

BS in Psychological Science, Double-Minor in History and Communication

Undergraduate Graduation Date

05/13/2023

GPA

3.98

Undergraduate Honors, Awards, or Special Recognitions

Summa Cum Laude
Scholar-Athlete Award
Heald Merit Scholarship
Elevate Merit Scholarship

Were you employed in 2025?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF)

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?

$200,000

Do you expect to be employed in 2026?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

Cozen O'Connor

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

$200,000

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

$200,000

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?

Employer-sponsored health insurance.

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

Total Tuition Cost $

$76,704

Books Cost $

$5,000

Fees Cost $

$828

Housing Cost $

$21,600

Food Cost $

$2,400

Other Costs $ (describe)

$1,200 (plane tickets home)

Total Expenses $ (add above entries)

$107,732

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

Student Loans $

Scholarships and Grants $

$40,000

Work Study, if any $

Personal Contribution (Savings/Employment) $

$40,000

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

$40,000

Other Sources $ (describe)

Total Funding $ (add above entries)

$120,000

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

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)

HLAI Rapid Response Network (2025 – 2026)
The Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois (HLAI) Rapid Response Network supports members of the Hispanic and immigrant communities in the Chicago area, particularly individuals and families affected by immigration enforcement actions. I participated in rapid response efforts by assisting with community outreach, legal observation, and coordination to ensure that individuals facing immigration enforcement were informed of their rights and had access to legal resources. In addition, I also supported efforts aimed at protecting due process and promoting legal awareness within the Hispanic community.

Praise Chapel Westminster (2016 – present)
Praise Chapel Westminster is a faith-based organization serving a predominantly Hispanic community, with a focus on spiritual support, family services, and community engagement. I engaged in ongoing volunteer service through church-sponsored community programs, including assisting with outreach initiatives, supporting community events, and participating in activities designed to strengthen families and provide assistance to individuals in need within the local Hispanic community.

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 vividly recall my mother lining up my two siblings and my 9-year-old self along our hallway wall, which seemed to amplify her trepidation and uncertainty. She knelt at our eye level and, with a broken voice, explained that our father was entering a legal battle against his own police department. She told us that we needed to be her bravest, most well-behaved little soldiers because it would be a long and arduous fight. What had started as my father's battle quickly became my family's battle, and it would rage on for nearly a decade. While our family bond was unshakable and profound, it was not, on its own, the source of strength that got us through those defining years of our lives – our secret weapon was a lionhearted, inexhaustible attorney named Martha Gomez.
Flores v. the City of Westminster was a case about racism, discrimination, and retaliation. Despite my father's two decades of dedicated service as a police officer, he was denied well-deserved promotions year after year solely because of his race. From my bedroom, I’d gather bits and pieces of the abuse he was subjected to through the thin walls of our home. “The Boys,” as they referred to themselves, labeled my father and other Hispanic officers with derogatory nicknames like "Dirty Sanchez," "Jorge," and "Silverback." They went so far as to mock the gray streak in my father’s hair, referring to it as his "INS mark."
In July 2010, when I turned ten, my father filed a complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), accusing the department of discrimination based on his national origin. I remember questioning how someone could mistreat my father just because of his skin color, for hidden behind its dark complexion were beautiful stories of our Purépechan native ancestors. Until that point, my father had never faced disciplinary action or been subjected to an internal affairs investigation. However, after filing his complaint, he found himself the subject of ceaseless frivolous investigations. Things took a darker turn when the department stonewalled his calls for backup while he was pursuing suspects, often putting him in life-threatening situations. During those years, my father’s late-night walks to clear his mind became a nightly ritual. I would hear him leave at 10 p.m. and return around 3 a.m. I would hear the key in the door as he came back, but I’d take no comfort in his return, knowing that my once high-spirited father had become despondent.
Eighteen months after his initial complaint, my father filed a second complaint with DFEH, this time alleging retaliation. My desolate feeling of helplessness loomed over everything I did; my siblings and I lived in constant fear that there would soon come a day when my father might not make it home. The unrelenting anxiety drove me to the same recurring dream each night: two police officers holding an American flag, informing me that my father had died in the line of duty, and an accompanying inexplicable feeling that it was somehow connected to the department's retaliation. The one beacon of light in my life was Martha: an attorney from the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). Martha came from a similar upbringing, which not only infused my family with hope but also a sense of understanding and commonality, making it easier to trust her. To me, she was a valiant hero constantly shielding my family from shooting arrows with the sheer strength of her conviction – a mix of steely determination and the attention of a hawk. Through the years, when we visited her in her office, I watched as she would tense with rage while documenting the hardships the department continuously put my father through.
Martha devoted more than seventy hours each week to my father’s case—barely eating, sleeping, and making ends meet. When I asked if she was doing alright, she would say that if she did not bring the department to justice, they would subject someone else to the same treatment. At that moment, I knew that we were not only fighting for my father but also for future Hispanic officers. In October 2017, shortly after I turned sixteen, my father’s case emerged victorious at the United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. The judgment to compensate my father for what he endured paled in comparison to the enormous toll it took on his health. The stress of potentially losing his job and failing to provide for his family had devastating and lasting effects. High blood pressure, spinal cord compression, 60% hearing loss—these were just the beginning. The most debilitating blow came in the form of stage IV congestive heart failure. Congestive heart failure has no cure, and the average life expectancy for those afflicted is approximately one to five years. Currently, my father’s heart is operating at 35-40%, and with each passing day, his condition worsens.
I am determined to prevent others from enduring the same ordeal my father faced; I want to help my community fight for justice. I want to become their “Martha,” and to proudly count myself among the Latina attorneys who make up just two percent of attorneys in the United States. I want to offer inspiration to other Latinas aspiring to pursue a career in law. My choice to study law is deeply rooted in the profound injustices that have marked the path of my community and family during my formative years, motivating me to seek transformation. I hold an unwavering commitment to make a lasting impact, driven by the experiences of my parents who worked tirelessly to provide me with opportunities they never had. However, above all, I'm driven by witnessing the profound psychological and physiological toll that systemic injustice inflicts on families. Pursuing a career in law is my way of helping build a better future by emulating the utmost integrity that Martha modeled for us when we had nowhere else to turn—a future where equality and justice flourish for all.

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

Warning: Trying to access array offset on false in /srv/users/serverpilot/apps/hlsf2023/public/wp-content/plugins/syncs3-gravity-forms/includes/integrations/gravityview/integration.php on line 37

Warning: Trying to access array offset on null in /srv/users/serverpilot/apps/hlsf2023/public/wp-content/plugins/syncs3-gravity-forms/includes/integrations/gravityview/integration.php on line 37
Flores.Kenna_.FinAwardLtr.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*