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

Jose Rodriguez

Current Mailing Address

13458 S Burley Ave
Chicago, IL 60633
United States
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Permanent Address (only if different from Current Mailing Address)

United States
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Phone

(773) 454-5675

Connection to Illinois

Born and raised in Chicago. Parents moved here when they were teenagers for a better life.

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

Chicago

Name of Law School

University of Illinois Chicago School of Law

Class year

1st year law student

Full Time or Part Time Student?

Full Time

Date you began attending THIS law school

08/19/2025

Anticipated Graduation Date

05/18/2028

Current GPA

2.53

Law School Class Rank (if known)

n/a

Name of Undergraduate Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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

Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Health Science - Health Diversity Concentration

Undergraduate Graduation Date

05/15/2021

GPA

3.21

Were you employed in 2025?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL

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?

Not sure but I've been independent since I was 18. Worked and used student loans for school.

Do you expect to be employed in 2026?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

Looking for a summer associate position or a law clerk position

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

Not sure but I've been independent since I was 18.

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

Not sure but I've been independent since I was 18.

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

Parents own their home but I am 27 years old and independent.

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 but again I am independent.

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

Total Tuition Cost $

37440

Books Cost $

1400

Fees Cost $

4640

Housing Cost $

Food Cost $

5050

Other Costs $ (describe)

Transportation (1526), Loan Fees (1400), Personal Expenses (4500)

Total Expenses $ (add above entries)

50956

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

Student Loans $

50956

Scholarships and Grants $

Work Study, if any $

Personal Contribution (Savings/Employment) $

1000

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

Other Sources $ (describe)

Total Funding $ (add above entries)

51956

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

n/a

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)

Organization: Heart in Motion
Location: Schererville, Indiana
Dates of Participation: 2013 – Present
Organization & Community Served:
Heart in Motion is a nonprofit organization that provides food assistance and donated goods to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity in Northwest Indiana. The organization serves a diverse community, including many Hispanic and immigrant families in the surrounding area.
Description of Service Performed:
I volunteered in Heart in Motion’s warehouse, where I organized donated items and prepared dry food packages for distribution. I also assisted with delivering food directly to community members in need. I began volunteering with the organization alongside my family and spent weekends and school breaks to supporting its operations. Through this work, I helped ensure families had access to essential food resources and learned the importance of sustained community support.

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)

As a child of immigrants, I realized my parents had many struggles with a system they barely knew about. My parents’ journey from Mexico to the United States in search of a better life was fraught with obstacles, one of which was the complex and lengthy citizenship process and resources essential to all individuals. I remember accompanying my parents to a lawyer’s office and struggling to understand the legal documents they were being given. I also remember seeing my parents struggle with basic human needs like finding healthcare. I wanted to help them but was not able to, which made me feel helpless. This experience ignited my desire to advocate for those who lack a voice.
I also watched my parents struggle in other areas essential to our lives. Healthcare is a system my parents had a hard time navigating. Many of my family members and closest friends were undocumented and still are to this day. Neither my parents nor I had a primary care physician due to their citizenship status, though I didn’t understand this at the time. I remember translating documents for my parents and asking what the forms were for and being told my parents were filling out forms for charity or cheap healthcare. This realization was difficult, I couldn’t comprehend that healthcare insurance wasn’t available for everyone.
As I matured, I recognized that citizenship status directly impacted healthcare access for my family and friends. Not only was healthcare coverage not available for my parents and people in my neighborhood, but the healthcare coverage we did find was far and few between. These experiences motivated me to study public health, aiming to understand the healthcare system and assist those like my parents facing systemic barriers.
My public health education opened my eyes to how policy shapes healthcare delivery. I learned how these limitations in the healthcare system affected people like my parents and also other communities and people. I learned how healthcare systems lack resources for non-English speakers which can result in miscommunication or improper treatment, something I experienced as a kid accompanying my dad to his diabetes appointments to translate what the doctor was saying and the questions he had for the doctor. My education also shed light on how legal status plays a part in obtaining health insurance; connecting my education with my personal experiences. Since my parents were not citizens, they were barely able to receive cheap or charity healthcare, unable to provide for specialized care for common health issues like diabetes. After a lengthy citizenship process, I was able to see their experiences full circle. Previously unable to receive healthcare, my parents finally were able to obtain a primary healthcare provider due to their new legal status.
After graduating from college, through my professional work in the healthcare field, I became more fully aware of the numerous disparities affecting people from underserved communities. Not only were they not able to receive adequate treatment due to not having documentation but they also faced several barriers such as language barriers, lack of resources, and the inability to understand a complex system. At an eating disorder treatment facility that provided inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization, and outpatient treatment for adults, I helped with intake for new patients. Patients were often denied care due to their immigration status while other families struggled to access essential services because they didn’t know their rights. One particular case where a potential patient who was seeking help for their eating disorder but was denied care due to their legal status. The situation reminded me of my mother and how she was unable to receive healthcare throughout her life in America solely due to her pending legal status.
I worked in clinical research for three years and most recently at a pediatric hospital’s Neuro-Oncology department. Due to the complexity of pediatric brain tumors, families from all over the world seek healthcare for their children who are suffering. Due to healthcare system policies, I’ve seen families denied essential services due to legal restrictions and language barriers. These essential services include MRIs of the brain, surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and steroid therapy. These essential services are expensive so having health insurance is vital to receiving these life saving services. Due to legal restrictions, international patients are often unable to apply for healthcare insurance due to their legal status.
My experience in the public health field has led me to pursue a legal education. Healthcare and legal systems should work together to ensure everyone is served, regardless of their socioeconomic status or documentation status. My parents’ sacrifices, my heritage, and my life experiences have shaped me into the person I am today. I will use my education, resilience, and my sense of responsibility to give back to my community and to serve those who are often helpless. My dream is to provide advocacy to those who have been marginalized to ensure they receive the representation and support they need. Receiving support from the Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund would help me out tremendously financially, but one step closer to achieving my dream of providing justice in the courtroom and the healthcare system, advocating for the rights of individuals who deserve fairness and justice.

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

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Rodriguez.Jose_.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*