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

Mariamelia Estrada Carmona

Current Mailing Address

623 W Babcock Ave
Elmhurst, Illinois 60126-1884
United States
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Permanent Address (only if different from Current Mailing Address)

United States
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Phone

(920) 815-1412

Connection to Illinois

Attending loyola University

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

Chicago

Name of Law School

School of Law Loyola University Chicago

Class year

1st year law student

Full Time or Part Time Student?

Full Time

Date you began attending THIS law school

08/18/2025

Anticipated Graduation Date

07/01/2027

Current GPA

3,110

Name of Undergraduate Institution

Universidad de Carabobo - Venezuela

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

Law Degree - Venezuela

Undergraduate Graduation Date

12/17/2018

GPA

3.1

Were you employed in 2025?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

I am currently unemployed. Most of 2025 I did work as a home study and post release services case manager for Cayuga Centers.

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

Do you expect to be employed in 2026?

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

N/A

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

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

$20,000 (They live in Venezuela)

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

Own. My parents own a 4 bedroom, 2 baths home in Venezuela.

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

My parents currently reside in Venezuela. They do not have health insurance.

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

Total Tuition Cost $

$40,000

Books Cost $

$1,200

Fees Cost $

$996

Housing Cost $

$12,000

Food Cost $

5,000

Other Costs $ (describe)

$3,500 health insurance.

Total Expenses $ (add above entries)

$62,696

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 $

$13,000

Work Study, if any $

Personal Contribution (Savings/Employment) $

$27,000

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

Other Sources $ (describe)

Total Funding $ (add above entries)

$40,000

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)

Case Manager, Cayuga Centers
Dates: May 2024 - November 2025
Cayuga Centers works in collaboration with the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to provide support services for unaccompanied children. The organization serves vulnerable youth, primarily from Spanish-speaking countries, as they transition into the United States.
As a bilingual (Spanish-English) Case Manager, I supported Hispanic families from diverse backgrounds, including Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Venezuela, and Ecuador. I had the privilege of assisting indigenous Guatemalan immigrants who did not speak Spanish or English, facilitating their transition to the U.S.. I conducted thorough home studies to assess environmental safety for unaccompanied children and utilized trauma-informed practices to support youth during reintegration. Additionally, I coordinated essential community resources to ensure successful reunification with parents or sponsors.

Anti-Human Trafficking Advocate, UMOS (Latina Resource Center)
Dates: December 2023 - May 2024
UMOS is a non-profit advocacy organization that provides diverse programs to assist vulnerable populations. Through the Latina Resource Center, it serves domestic and foreign nationals, particularly within the Hispanic community, who have been affected by sex and labor trafficking.
I provided direct advocacy, crisis intervention, and safety planning for victims of trafficking. My work included conducting extensive outreach to increase victim identification, coordinating referrals for legal and medical resources, and accompanying victims to court and shelters. I also linked individuals to programs offering financial aid and self-sufficiency services to ensure their long-term stability.

Immigration Paralegal, Mendez Law LLC
Dates: January 2023 - December 2023
A llaw office specialized in immigration law, dedicated to helping individuals and families navigate the U.S. legal system. The firm focuses on supporting vulnerable populations through asylum and family-based petitions.
I supported the Hispanic immigrant community by conducting in-depth research and preparing legal filings, including asylum applications, VAWA, U visas, and family-based petitions. I served as a bilingual bridge, interpreting during client-attorney meetings and drafting affidavits and declarations to ensure clients' stories were accurately and effectively represented in their legal proceedings.

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)

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This quote by Martin Luther King Jr. has been the heartbeat of my professional life. My journey toward becoming an attorney in the United States has not been a linear path of privilege, but a relentless pursuit fueled by necessity, resilience, and a sense of duty to those who, like me, have had to start from zero.
My passion for the law was born out of witnessing the collapse of democratic institutions in my home country, Venezuela. After earning my law degree from the University of Carabobo in 2018, I saw firsthand how authoritarian abuses and the silencing of dissent can strip a people of their dignity. When I arrived in the United States in 2019, I held a degree in one hand and a dream in the other.

I love academia, and despite the challenges, I committed myself to mastering English in less than two years. Because I lacked the funds for law school at the time, I enrolled in a paralegal program, graduating with honors while working as a Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipient. Every dollar I earned as an immigration paralegal, as an Anti-Human Trafficking Advocate, and as a case manager was saved with one goal in mind: returning to the law.

In November 2025, I faced a significant "crucible moment". With the termination of TPS, I faced the sudden loss of my employment and the stability I had worked so hard to build. Rather than letting this deter me, I used my savings to secure an F1 visa and finally enroll in the LL.M. program at Loyola University Chicago. Transitioning from a full-time professional to a student with no current income has been a test of my "warrior" spirit, but it has only clarified my mission.

My legal career goal is to become a compassionate immigration attorney who bridges the gap between complex legal statutes and the human beings they affect. Having served as a Case Manager for unaccompanied minors and an advocate for victims of labor trafficking, I have seen the law at its most critical intersections. I do not just study immigration law; I have lived it.

Receiving this scholarship would provide the vital financial bridge I need to complete my LL.M. and sit for the bar exam. My background as a Venezuelan attorney and my lived experience as an immigrant in the U.S. allow me to bring a perspective of deep empathy and unyielding advocacy to the legal profession. I am dedicated to using my education to uplift marginalized communities and ensure that the "threat to justice" I witnessed in my youth is met with a formidable defense here in my new home.

Notes:
-I do not have any financial award letter.
-I am still awaiting my official transcripts, but I do not want to miss the deadline for the application. If you allow me, I can email them to you as soon as I have them. My current GPA is 3,110.

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

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EstradaCarmona.Mariamelia.Resume.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*