Scholar Entries - Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund of Illinois

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

Name

Cynthia Garcia

Current Mailing Address

5818 S Natchez Ave
Chicago, IL 60638
United States
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Phone

(773) 387-5394

Connection to Illinois

Born and raised in Chicago.

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

Chicago

Name of Law School

UIC Law

Class year

3rd year law student

Full Time or Part Time Student?

Full Time

Date you began attending THIS law school

08/18/2023

Anticipated Graduation Date

05/12/2026

Current GPA

3.33

Law School Honors, Awards or Special Recognitions

Barrister's Scholarship Recipient. HSF Scholar.

Name of Undergraduate Institution

University of Chicago

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

Economics

Undergraduate Graduation Date

06/21/2022

GPA

3.2

Were you employed in 2025?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge

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?

15,000

Do you expect to be employed in 2026?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge

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

12,000

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

250,000

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 $

36,000

Books Cost $

1,400

Fees Cost $

4,640

Housing Cost $

Food Cost $

6,000

Other Costs $ (describe)

MPRE, Bar exam cost, Bar Prep Course = 3,560

Total Expenses $ (add above entries)

51,600

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 $

Barrister's Scholarship covers 75% of tuition : 28,800

Work Study, if any $

Personal Contribution (Savings/Employment) $

10,000

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

Total Funding $ (add above entries)

38,800

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)

Organization: SouthWest Action Network (SWAN)
Dates of Participation: November 2025 – Present

Organization Description:
SouthWest Action Network (SWAN) is a community-based grassroots organization formed to serve residents of Chicago’s Southwest Side, with a particular focus on working-class Hispanic and immigrant communities. The organization was created to address barriers to access in areas such as public benefits, legal rights education, and civic engagement, and to connect residents with trusted nonprofit and governmental resources.

Description of Activities and Service Performed:
I am a founding member and organizer of SWAN and have been directly involved in the development, planning, and execution of its initial programming. My role has included identifying community needs, building partnerships with established nonprofits and public institutions, and coordinating outreach efforts in predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods. I have assisted in planning benefits-access events in collaboration with local food and social-service organizations, helped develop “Know Your Rights” educational programming tailored to immigrant and Spanish-speaking residents, and participated in canvassing and community outreach to connect residents with resources. In addition, I have contributed to the organization’s administrative structure, communications, and long-term planning to ensure the group can sustainably serve the 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)

My background is defined by resilience, responsibility, and an early understanding that education is both opportunity and obligation. I am the daughter of first-generation American parents who became parents at seventeen and raised four children without the presence of their fathers. Despite these challenges, my parents instilled in us the belief that education was the most powerful tool we could use to create stability, influence, and change. That belief shaped my academic path and ultimately led me to pursue a legal career.

I am a Chicago Public Schools alumna and a graduate of the University of Chicago, and I am currently completing my law degree at the University of Illinois Chicago. Throughout my education, I have been motivated by a desire to understand how legal systems operate in practice and how they impact the communities I come from. That motivation led me to work as a Chicago Police Officer while attending law school full-time. Balancing overnight shifts with coursework was demanding, but it provided me with a grounded and unfiltered view of how law, discretion, and institutional decision-making affect individuals in real time. Experiencing the legal system from within reinforced my belief that accountability, access to information, and competent advocacy are essential to justice.

My experiences in law school have further clarified my reasons for pursuing this profession. As a law clerk, I have conducted legal research, drafted pleadings, analyzed factual records, and assisted in developing litigation strategy across a range of civil matters. This work has shown me the power of careful legal analysis and effective advocacy in shaping outcomes for individuals who often lack meaningful representation. I am drawn to litigation because it allows me to engage directly with facts, law, and human impact, and to hold institutions accountable when they fail to meet their obligations.

In parallel with my legal training, I have remained committed to community engagement. I am a founding organizer of the SouthWest Action Network, a grassroots initiative serving Chicago’s Southwest Side, where many Hispanic and immigrant families face barriers to accessing legal information, public benefits, and civic resources. Through this work, I have helped organize outreach efforts, develop educational programming, and build partnerships with local organizations. This experience has reinforced my belief that legal knowledge should not be siloed, but shared in ways that empower communities.

My legal career goals are grounded in service, competence, and long-term impact. I intend to practice law in Illinois in a litigation-focused role that serves individuals and communities facing structural barriers, while remaining actively involved in community education and advocacy. Ultimately, I aim to use my legal training and lived experience to bridge gaps between institutions and the people they serve, and to contribute to a legal system that is more transparent, equitable, and responsive.

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

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Garcia.Cynthia.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*