Scholar Entries - Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund of Illinois

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

Yes

Name

Josette Soto

Current Mailing Address

260 E Chestnut St
Apt 1009
Chicago, IL 60611
United States
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If mailing address is temporary, expected date when current mailing address is no longer valid

06/01/2026

Permanent Address (only if different from Current Mailing Address)

3724 Riverview Dr.
Madera, CA 93637
United States
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Phone

(559) 213-3734

Connection to Illinois

Attend law school and complete internships in Chicago

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

Los Angeles, CA

Name of Law School

Northwestern University

Class year

3rd year law student

Full Time or Part Time Student?

Full Time

Date you began attending THIS law school

08/25/2023

Anticipated Graduation Date

05/15/2026

Current GPA

3.48

Law School Honors, Awards or Special Recognitions

Dean's List (Fall 2024-2025)

Name of Undergraduate Institution

University of California, Merced

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

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

Undergraduate Graduation Date

05/14/2022

GPA

3.95

Undergraduate Honors, Awards, or Special Recognitions

Chancellor's List (2018-2022)
Graduated top 2%

Were you employed in 2025?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

D.Law
Invisible Institute

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?

$18,000

Do you expect to be employed in 2026?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation

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

~5,000

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

80,000

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 $

$79,000

Books Cost $

$60

Fees Cost $

~$5,000

Housing Cost $

$18,000

Food Cost $

~$5,000

Other Costs $ (describe)

Total Expenses $ (add above entries)

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 $

Work Study, if any $

$5,000

Personal Contribution (Savings/Employment) $

$10,000

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

Other Sources $ (describe)

Total Funding $ (add above entries)

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

~295,000

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)

-University of California, Merced Law Clinic (Fall 2020-2021): An on campus clinic aimed at providing students with information and resources they need to navigate legal challenges for themselves and their families. I researched laws and resources related to domestic violence and protection orders.
-Center of Vision and Enhancement (Spring 2019- Spring 2022): A center for the visually impaired community in Merced, California to receive resources. I volunteers by assembling mailing inventory and prepared for events.
-Park Merced Assisted Living (Fall 2020-Spring 2020): Elderly Assisted Living Center. I read the newspaper, had coffee, and organized bingo games with the residents
-Empire Mock Trial (Fall 2023): An educational non-profit that encourages and empowers high school students to pursue a legal career. I volunteered as a jury-judge for the student trial competitions
-Northwestern StreetLaw (Fall 2023-Spring 2026) A club where Northwestern law students volunteer at Chicago Public Schools every month by educating Black and Hispanic students of their legal rights in various areas, while bridging gaps between higher education and under-resourced communities in Chicago. I attend and teach lessons every month to high school students.
-Cook County Public Guardian (Summer 2024): A government entity that provides legal representation to children in protective services. I worked as an unpaid law clerk where I conducted legal research focused on child protective services and provided assistance with trial preparation.
-Invisible Institute (Spring 2025): An investigative non-profit journalism organization. I researched public disclosure laws in different states regarding police misconduct.

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)

From my experience as a Mexican-American woman who grew up in indigent areas in Central California, raised by a young, single mother and had a drug-addicted father, I was exposed to injustices that ignited a spark in me to champion for equity. As a child, I noticed circumstances around me that I instinctively felt were unfair and I had a strong desire to resolve the injustices for myself and future generations. As I grew older, I started to understand how the disparities I noted were linked to local, state, and federal policies. I attended a Hispanic-serving institution for my undergraduate education and my passion for justice increased through my courses and government internships. Thus, I pursued a legal education as a means to empower myself, my family, and my community. I was accepted to Northwestern after getting off of the waitlist so by the time I was accepted there were no scholarship funds available for me. So I made the decision to pay for my tuition and living expenses through student loans because I know education is an investment in my future.

Since attending Northwestern, I have explored many of my legal interests that inspired me to pursue a legal education. Before law school, I worked as a substitute teacher for under-resourced schools in Central California and with that experience I hope to use my legal knowledge to continue to support marginalized youth. Hence, I joined Northwestern’s StreetLaw volunteer group to continue serving under-resourced communities and to connect to the Chicago community outside of Streeterville. Furthermore, I am an associate editor of Northwestern’s Journal of Law and Social Policy, which is dedicated to addressing interdisciplinary legal issues marginalized communities face.

To further explore my legal interests I worked for an agency that advocated for neglected and abused children in Cook County during my 1L summer. Moreover, I currently support Northwestern’s Bluhm Legal Clinic by advocating for incarcerated youth. During my second and third year of law school I interned with a Chicago non-profit investigative journalism organization and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation in their General Counsel office. Through my internship experiences, I learned I enjoy contributing to a bigger and meaningful mission by providing legal research and guidance for organizations.
Additionally, I am an active member and held a leadership position in Northwestern’s Latine Law Students Association (LLSA). As a Latina and minority at Northwestern, it was important for me to contribute to a community that supports students of color during their legal career. Thus, in LLSA I have mentored 1Ls and 2Ls. In addition to being an active member of LLSA, I am also involved in the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois (HLAI). HLAI has provided me with assurance that I do belong in the legal field. Alongside my confidence that HLAI helped instill in me, I built a supportive community with the other law students and attorneys who have felt almost like family. The Latino community in HLAI and LLSA have provided me with a safe place and feel like my home away from home. Fortunately, last year I was a recipient of an HLSF scholarship. From the Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund of Illinois’ financial support I was able to pursue my aspiration of working in Southern California and advancing employment justice last summer. My experience last summer solidified my decision to return home after law school and my summer job helped me become more confident in the legal profession.

While I am not certain where I will work immediately after I take the bar exam, I am currently seeking opportunities that will lead me to professionally developing as a young attorney and finding resolutions for inequities. Although I explored my different legal interests and learned limitations of the law while in law school, my dreams to be a change agent still exist. Thus, I intend to seek opportunities that will help me achieve the goals I had in mind while applying to law school. My ultimate career goals include working as a legal counsel for state and local government entities and non-profit organizations focused on policy work. When I have the capacity after law school, I hope to be an active member in non-profit organizations that uplift marginalized communities by providing financial support, my legal expertise, and volunteering. For instance, I am particularly interested in volunteering with the Boys and Girls Club and the Hispanic National Bar Association. Ultimately, I aspire to open the door for more Latina law students and lawyers like me and increase social mobility within my community.

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

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Soto.Josette.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*