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

Michelle Carreno

Current Mailing Address

519 Chestnut Dr
Oswego, IL 60543
United States
Map It

Permanent Address (only if different from Current Mailing Address)

United States
Map It

Phone

(708) 925-8960

Connection to Illinois

Citizen

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

Chicago, IL

Name of Law School

University of Illinois Chicago School of Law

Class year

2nd year law student

Full Time or Part Time Student?

Full Time

Date you began attending THIS law school

08/01/2024

Anticipated Graduation Date

05/01/2027

Current GPA

2.31

Law School Class Rank (if known)

Fall 2025 - 59/67

Law School Honors, Awards or Special Recognitions

• Dean Fred F. Herzog Moot Court Competition, Summer 2025: Honorable Mention Respondent’s
Brief Author
• Moot Court Honors Council, Fall 2025

Name of Undergraduate Institution

Illinois State University

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

BA Criminal Justice Sciences

Undergraduate Graduation Date

12/16/2023

GPA

3.5

Undergraduate Honors, Awards, or Special Recognitions

Honors Program Scholar
Academic Excellence
Redbird Academic Scholarship

Were you employed in 2025?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

Target

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?

55,000.00

Do you expect to be employed in 2026?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

Target
The Resurrection Project

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

55,000.000

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

275,000.000

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

rent

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 $

36,000.00

Books Cost $

600.00

Fees Cost $

2,000.00

Housing Cost $

0.00

Food Cost $

2,500.00

Total Expenses $ (add above entries)

41,100.00

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

Student Loans $

39,876.00

Scholarships and Grants $

0.00

Work Study, if any $

0.00

Personal Contribution (Savings/Employment) $

300.00

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

0.00

Other Sources $ (describe)

0.00

Total Funding $ (add above entries)

40,176.00

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

52,876.00

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)

Activity:Volunteer Form Preparer, Pro Bono Asylum Workshop International Human Rights Clinic, UIC Law
Date: November 2025
Description of Organization: The International Human Rights Clinic is a non-profit, non-partisan legal clinic dedicated to protecting human rights in the United States and globally. It advances human rights through direct legal representation in domestic and international forums, documentation of human rights violations, collaborative advocacy with other organizations, and public education, research, and reporting on issues such as the rule of law, minority and immigrant rights, human rights defenders, and environmental rights.
Description of Activity: Prepared immigration forms, including i-589, collected and reviewed client information and collaborated with attorneys, interpreters, and volunteers to facilitate client intake and form preparation.

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 experiences have shaped me into a motivated and resilient individual who is constantly seeking growth. I am eager to learn, to build my skills, and to challenge myself both personally and professionally. As a first-generation Mexican American, pursuing my dreams has always been encouraged in my household, even when the path forward felt uncertain. Today, I continue to follow those dreams by pursuing a career in the legal field.

Aspiring to become an attorney, however, has not always felt attainable. Growing up, I rarely saw individuals who looked like me in professional legal spaces. Instead, people from my community were often confined to minimum-wage, labor-intensive jobs. This lack of representation caused me to question my ambitions. Throughout my academic journey, I asked myself what distinguished me from others and whether I truly belonged in the legal profession. These doubts weakened my confidence and contributed to a persistent fear of failure as a Mexican American.

Minorities like myself are often undermined and perceived as lacking the ability to succeed. When placed into these limiting boxes, I found myself questioning my potential. Yet, as my interest in the law grew, I learned to confront these doubts rather than retreat from them. Stepping outside of my comfort zone became necessary. During my undergraduate studies, I became an active member of my university’s Pre-Law Club and attended several law school forums, which allowed me to envision myself in spaces I once believed were inaccessible. I also accepted an executive board position in Alpha Phi Sigma, where I further developed my leadership skills and commitment to advocacy.

My ancestry is a constant source of inspiration and strength. My last name is a fundamental part of my identity and represents perseverance, pride, and resilience. As a Mexican American, I carry my culture with confidence. It provides me with a sense of belonging and reminds me that the struggles faced by my family and community are not barriers, but sources of motivation. My culture has taught me to transform adversity into purpose and to pursue a career that allows me to advocate for those who are often overlooked.

One significant challenge during law school was adjusting my learning style. As reflected in my transcripts, I initially struggled academically and lacked adequate resources to succeed. Rather than allowing this challenge to define me, I took proactive steps to address it. I met regularly with my academic advisor, reevaluated my course load, and allowed myself the time necessary to reflect and adapt. These adjustments strengthened my academic foundation and reaffirmed my belief that I belonged in law school.

Today, I meet adversity with perseverance, and in the future, I aspire to become an attorney who not only succeeds professionally but also serves as meaningful representation for marginalized communities. My career goal is to use the law as a tool for equity, advocacy, and lasting change, particularly for individuals who have been historically excluded from full access to justice.

My aspiration to enter the legal profession is deeply personal. I have witnessed how unfamiliarity with the legal system, language barriers, and limited access to resources can leave individuals and families vulnerable. These experiences have drawn me to legal work that combines direct client advocacy with systemic reform. Through direct representation, I hope to empower clients to assert their rights while navigating legal processes that often feel inaccessible. Beyond individual advocacy, I am committed to challenging the structural barriers that perpetuate inequality through litigation, policy advocacy, and community education, ensuring that legal protections are effective in practice. Culturally competent advocacy is central to this goal. Growing up in a community where many felt unseen within legal institutions taught me that trust and understanding are essential to meaningful representation. I aspire to serve clients in a manner that honors their cultural backgrounds and lived experiences, producing outcomes that are both legally sound and socially impactful.

Ultimately, my journey has shown me that true belonging comes from embracing my identity and pursuing my purpose. As a first-generation Mexican American, I bring resilience, cultural pride, and lived experience into every space I enter. These qualities shape both who I am and the attorney I am becoming. I seek a legal career rooted in service and accountability, where advocacy is informed by empathy and action. By using the law to challenge inequity and expand access to justice, I hope to contribute to a legal system that not only recognizes marginalized communities, but actively serves them. My goal is not simply to succeed within the profession, but to help reshape it into one that is more inclusive, responsive, and just.

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
Carreno.Michelle.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*