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

Felix Celestino

Current Mailing Address

1449 W Taylor St
Unit 2W
Chicago, IL 60607
United States
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If mailing address is temporary, expected date when current mailing address is no longer valid

07/31/2027

Permanent Address (only if different from Current Mailing Address)

40 King Arthur Ct.
Apt 3
Northlake, IL 60164
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Phone

(708) 315-0803

Connection to Illinois

Born and Raised in Illinois. Went to UIC for university and attend Chicago-Kent College of Law

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

Chicago

Name of Law School

Chicago-Kent College of Law

Class year

2nd year law student

Full Time or Part Time Student?

Full Time

Date you began attending THIS law school

08/19/2024

Anticipated Graduation Date

05/16/2027

Current GPA

3.05

Law School Honors, Awards or Special Recognitions

Dean's Honor List: Spring 2025 & Fall 2025
Chicago-Kent Certificate of Service: Spring 2025
Dean’s Distinguished Public Service Award: Spring 2025

Name of Undergraduate Institution

University of Illinois—Chicago

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

BA in Music, Double Minor in Criminology, Law & Justice and Law & Society, on the Pre-Law Track, in the Honors College Program

Undergraduate Graduation Date

05/05/2024

GPA

3.52

Undergraduate Honors, Awards, or Special Recognitions

Recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award: Spring 2024
Dean’s List for the College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts: all 2020, Spring 2021, Spring & Fall 2023
Named as a Pipeline to Justice Scholar by UIC Social Justice Initiative: 2023 — 2024
Recipient of the Vice Chancellor of Student Service Award: Fall 2023
Recipient of the Outstanding Community Activism-Individual Award: Spring 2023
Recipient of the Chancellor’s Student Service Award: Spring 2022, 2023, & 2024
Recipient of the Community Development Award: Spring 2022
Member of the Order of Omega: Leadership Honor Society: Spring 2023 – Spring 2024
Member of the Honors College: Fall 2021 – Spring 2024
Member of the National Resident Hall Honorary: Fall 2021 – Spring 2024
Member of the Society of Scholars — Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity: Fall 2021 – Spring 2024
Recipient of the Music Merit Award — UIC School of Theatre & Music: Spring 2021 – Spring 2024

Were you employed in 2025?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

AIDS Legal Council, Legal Council for Health Justice: Summer Legal Intern, June 2025 – August 2025
Public Interest Center, Chicago-Kent College of Law: Student Coordinator, February 2025 – Present

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?

$8,212

Do you expect to be employed in 2026?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

Public Interest Center, Chicago-Kent College of Law: Student Coordinator, February 2025 – Present
Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois: Judicial Extern, January 2026 – Present

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

$8,000

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

$57,000

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

I only have one parent. My mom owns her apartment. She has owned it for about 20 years. She still has a mortgage and has refinanced a couple of times. It's been hard with all the other debt she has.

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

My mom has employer-sponsored health insurance. It is with Cigna.

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

Total Tuition Cost $

$61,000

Books Cost $

$7,000

Fees Cost $

$1,000.00

Housing Cost $

$15,000

Food Cost $

$5,000

Other Costs $ (describe)

$2,000 (transportation expenses)

Total Expenses $ (add above entries)

$91,000

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

Student Loans $

$53,000

Scholarships and Grants $

$31,000

Work Study, if any $

$5,000

Personal Contribution (Savings/Employment) $

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

Other Sources $ (describe)

$2,000 (credit card debit)

Total Funding $ (add above entries)

$91,000

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

$112,937.99

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)

From May 18th to the 24th in 2025, I participated in the Chicago-Kent College of Law Immigration Law Society's Immigration Trip. We traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to assist the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center in representing people who the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained. I went to two different detention centers to provide limited scope legal assistance to people who'd have to represent themselves in Immigration Court. One day, we went to the detention center and held multiple legal clinics for all the people detained. Another day, I helped a detained person tell their story and write it down as an affidavit. Another day, I went to a local church where I helped a non-detained person complete their asylum application (Form I-589). As a native Spanish speaker, I translated and interpreted to provide everyone I interacted with the best possible legal services. I put together different packets to help future self-representing litigants and applicants for asylum. All of the people I helped were from Latin American countries and only spoke Spanish.

From July 2023 to May 2024, I was a Spanish law clerk intern at the Children's Legal Center (CLC) in Chicago. I drafted affidavits for clients’ asylum applications, researched to create country condition reports, interpreted for Spanish-speaking clients and attorneys, and translated legal documents from Spanish to English. During my time at the CLC, we helped families with children or unaccompanied minors apply for asylum through various legal routes that were available at the time. Additionally, I helped at Asylum clinics through the CLC, hosted by Chicago-Kent College of Law, where we helped 50 families start the asylum application process. All of the clients I assisted were from Latin American Countries.

Since starting law school in August 2024, I've participated in different immigration pro bono projects that directly serve the Hispanic community in Chicago.

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)

Growing up in a working-class immigrant community, I saw that injustice often persists not from acceptance but from a lack of legal knowledge and representation. In my family and neighborhood, financial and language barriers made legal support inaccessible, while fear discouraged advocacy. Often, we only realized our rights had been violated after the fact. Witnessing my community face these challenges inspired me to pursue a career in law.
Through advocacy work in high school and college, I learned that meaningful change requires more than passion; it demands knowledge. Without legal understanding, communities like mine remain vulnerable to systems that exploit our silence and confusion. To bridge the access-to-justice gap I witnessed, I recognized the need for legal training. Law school became essential to my mission of making justice accessible to marginalized communities.
I am a second-year law student at Chicago-Kent College of Law, focusing on public-interest and impact litigation. As a first-generation Latino and gay man from a low-income, immigrant family, my commitment is personal. My experiences have shown me how legal systems can exclude those lacking resources, language access, or representation, especially Latino and LGBTQ+ individuals. These insights drive my advocacy and determination to ensure others do not feel powerless navigating the legal system.
Before law school, I sought to turn my motivation into direct service. From July 2023 to May 2024, I worked as a Spanish Law Clerk Intern at the Children’s Legal Center in Chicago, assisting asylum-seeking families and unaccompanied minors from Latin America. I drafted affidavits, prepared country condition reports, translated legal documents, and interpreted for Spanish-speaking clients. I also supported asylum clinics at Chicago-Kent, where our team helped over fifty families start the asylum process. Many faced the same barriers I saw growing up. Providing linguistically and culturally competent support ensured their stories were accurately presented.
During law school in May 2025, I joined Chicago-Kent’s Immigration Law Society's trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico, working with the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center to assist individuals detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I visited two detention centers and provided limited-scope legal assistance to individuals representing themselves in immigration court. I participated in legal clinics, helped draft affidavits, and assisted non-detained applicants with asylum applications, including Form I-589. As a native Spanish speaker, I translated and interpreted to help clients understand their legal options and exercise their rights. All the individuals I assisted were from Latin America and relied on Spanish-language access to navigate the legal system.
In addition to my immigration work, I interned at the AIDS Legal Council of the Legal Council for Health Justice. I conducted advanced legal research and drafted a memorandum on statute-of-limitations issues under the Illinois AIDS Confidentiality Act. This experience deepened my interest in impact litigation and strengthened my commitment to addressing systemic inequities affecting marginalized communities, including people living with HIV.
My long-term goal is to pursue a career in public interest and impact litigation focused on immigration, civil rights, and LGBTQ+ advocacy. I plan to build my legal career in Illinois, serving the communities that shaped me and working to ensure that legal knowledge and representation are not privileges reserved for those who can afford them. Financial support from the Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund would significantly ease the burden of law school expenses and allow me to continue dedicating my time and energy to public interest work that directly serves Latino and LGBTQ+ communities.
The Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund reflects the values that first drew me to the law: equity, representation, and community empowerment. Support from HLSF would not only make my legal education more sustainable but also help me pursue my career goals. Still, it would also affirm my commitment to ensuring that the legal system is accessible to those who need it most.

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

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Celestino.Felix_.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*