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

Alexa Soto

Current Mailing Address

5214 W Drummond Pl
Chicago, IL 60639
United States
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Phone

(773) 680-3959

Connection to Illinois

Born and raise in Illinois

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

Chicago

Name of Law School

The 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

08/26/2024

Anticipated Graduation Date

05/07/2027

Current GPA

3.37

Law School Class Rank (if known)

76/239

Name of Undergraduate Institution

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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

BA in Political Science

Undergraduate Graduation Date

05/15/2022

GPA

-10.9

Undergraduate Honors, Awards, or Special Recognitions

Order of Omega Greek Honor Society
Chicago Latino Caucus Scholarship Recipient

Were you employed in 2025?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

UIC Law Fair Housing Clinic (unpaid)
Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender (unpaid)

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?

0 ( I lived off my loans)

Do you expect to be employed in 2026?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

I hope to find a job by the end of this semester.

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

94,600

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

My mom rents her home, but I live with my grandparents who own their home

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 employee sponsored health insurance, I have campus care.

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

Total Tuition Cost $

$34,800.00

Books Cost $

$1,400.00

Fees Cost $

6040

Housing Cost $

Food Cost $

3,000

Other Costs $ (describe)

Car payment: 6,000 a year and 1,176 for a year of car insurance

Total Expenses $ (add above entries)

52,416

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

Student Loans $

54,492

Scholarships and Grants $

$8,700.00

Personal Contribution (Savings/Employment) $

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

Total Funding $ (add above entries)

63192

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

108,908.53

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)

Currently I am a foster parent for Chicago Rescue Authority, where I foster dogs until they are adopted. CRA is a rescue authority for dogs, and in 2025 I fostered 2 dogs before they found their forever home!

University of Illinois Latina/o Alumni Association | Champaign, IL
Communications Chair | July 2024 – August 2025
I collaborated with the executive board to organize professional workshops, networking events, and volunteering opportunities. I created and managed engaging content for social media and email campaigns, increasing event attendance.
The University of Illinois Latina/o Alumni Association is an alumni network committed to uplifting Latino alumni. They accomplish this through networking events, community outreach, as well as hosting professional development events. Additionally they organize a scholarship that goes to current undergrad students.

Alpha Psi Lambda National, Inc. at Beta Chapter | Champaign, IL
Internal Vice President | May 2020 – May 2022
I helped organized an annual scholarship for students demonstrating academic excellence and financial need. I enforced and updated chapter bylaws to maintain compliance and ethical standards. I mediated conflicts through the Nobility Committee to foster collaboration among members. Additionally, I collaborated with the board to create fundraising events and community outreach.
Alpha Psi Lambda National, Inc. at Beta Chapter is a co-ed greek fraternity dedicated to working together to provide resources for the Latino community in Urbana-Champaign. We did community service (volunteering at schools and street cleaning) and hosted academic and professional workshops at the cultural center.

Director of Marketing December 2019 - December 2020
The United Greek Council - Fraternity & Sorority Student Affairs | Champaign, IL
I created engaging content for all our platforms to promote Greek life to incoming students. I redesigned the website for both mobile and desktop browsing and I collaborated with the executive board to create events that promoted Greek unity and community service.
The United Greek council is a council that governs 24 multicultural fraternity and sororities at Urbana Champaign. We worked together to make sure that fraternities and sororities were complying with the bylaws and completing the required community service. Additionally we fostered community unity and diversity through collaborative events.

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 interest in a career in public service stems from my family. When my father passed away, my mother became the sole provider for two children. Seeing the financial stress my mother constantly faced made me want a career helping low-income communities. Although my mom had to carry the financial burden herself, her family stepped up in other ways. I would spend half my day with my grandparents. They would feed me, get me ready, walk me to and from school, and take care of me until my mom came home from work. Witnessing my family help one another through difficult times showed me the importance of community.
My family's experience navigating my uncle's disability as an immigrant family showed me the importance of accessibility and advocacy. Growing up, I used to translate for my grandparents during visits to government buildings so they could get resources for my uncle. Watching my family advocate for my nonverbal uncle instilled in me a desire to stand up for those who cannot do so for themselves. My grandparents' struggles highlighted the importance of accessible government resources and legal aid for Spanish-speaking communities.
My Latinidad has always been a big part of who I am. It drives me to work hard. In undergrad, my supporting coursework was in Latino/a studies. In those courses, I learned how politics and historical events have impacted Latino/a communities. Those lessons reinforced my desire to attend law school and defend the rights of minority communities. I entered law school eager and excited, but I was struggling in my legal writing and research course. After my first semester, I was disappointed to receive a C+ in my lawyering skills course, especially after feeling confident about the final memorandum I submitted. I was also worried about the impact it would have on my GPA, knowing I had to finish my 1L year in the top half of my class to maintain my scholarship. Going into my second semester, I was determined to get a better grade in Lawyering Skills 2. As soon as I got my syllabus, I began scheduling appointments with the writing resource center and frequently contacted my professor with questions. The writing center taught me to write clearly and concisely, while my professor taught me to analyze the law and craft persuasive arguments. I was very proud to earn a B+ by the end of the course, but beyond the grade, I truly felt I had improved as a persuasive legal writer and researcher.
My dream is to work in public interest law and practice in a legal clinic, helping to make the legal field more accessible to low-income communities. Before that, I hope to serve as a public defender, gaining trial and courtroom experience while assisting clients navigate the criminal justice system. I want to work for people, not corporations. Throughout my legal career, I have sought out positions that allow me to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. As a workers' compensation paralegal and as a law clerk at the Cook County Public Defender's Office, I translated for Spanish-speaking clients, helping them communicate with their attorneys and better understand their cases. In my new position at the UIC Fair Housing Clinic, I hope to learn about the remedies available to minorities facing housing discrimination and to understand their rights as tenants, so that I may be a resource for my community.

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

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Soto.Alexa_.FinAwardLetter.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*