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

Christina Valentin

Current Mailing Address

1110 N Wolcott Ave
Apt 2
Chicago, IL 606022
United States
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Permanent Address (only if different from Current Mailing Address)

209 Cates Farm Rd
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
United States
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Phone

(984) 364-7054

Connection to Illinois

I worked in Chicago for 2 years, and I am now a law student at DePaul.

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

Chicago

Name of Law School

DePaul University College 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

05/21/2028

Current GPA

3.773

Law School Class Rank (if known)

10/156

Law School Honors, Awards or Special Recognitions

Dean's List (fall 2025)
Dean's Scholarship Award

Name of Undergraduate Institution

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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

Political Science (BA); Hispanic Linguistics (BA); Interpretation and Translation (minor)

Undergraduate Graduation Date

05/14/2023

GPA

3.575

Undergraduate Honors, Awards, or Special Recognitions

Dean’s List (Fall 2021, Spring 2022 & Fall 2022)
Renwick Academic Achievement Award- awarded to minority undergraduate students who attain a GPA of 3.2 or higher

Were you employed in 2025?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

The National Immigrant Justice Center (Chicago)

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?

<$50,000

Do you expect to be employed in 2026?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

I expect to work during my 2&3L semesters to cover tuitution and living expenses.

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

$0- I'm currently receiving loans, and I do not currently work.

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

~$500,000. My mother is the sole financial provider and makes around ~$100,000 a year.

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

My mother owns her own home but has a mortgage; my father shares ownership of his home with his family.

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

My mother has health insurance through her employer; my father is on charity care/ medicaid.

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

Total Tuition Cost $

34,549

Books Cost $

2,000

Fees Cost $

642

Housing Cost $

12,000

Food Cost $

9,000

Other Costs $ (describe)

Health insurance ($2,400); gym membership (900); travel to home (1000); medication (600)

Total Expenses $ (add above entries)

63,091

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

Student Loans $

50,000

Scholarships and Grants $

21,250

Work Study, if any $

Personal Contribution (Savings/Employment) $

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

Total Funding $ (add above entries)

71,250

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)

I currently volunteer as an interpreter for the DePaul Immigration Clinic.
I am a volunteer for immigration-benefit clinics hosted by organizations and law schools across Chicago (most recent event was on January 17, 2026, at Instituto for a DACA renewal clinic).
In college (in Chapel Hill, North Carolina), I volunteered as an interpreter for the Student Health Action Coalition once a week during my senior year (August 2022- May 2023). I also volunteered as a tutor for El Centro Hispano, helping Spanish-speaking students further their comprehension of various school subjects.

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)

I was born in Guatemala to parents of different U.S. immigration status: my mother, a U.S.
citizen; and my father, a Guatemalan citizen and a U.S. legal permanent resident. I acquired U.S.
citizenship at birth. My rights and privileges as a U.S. citizen are defined by my mother’s citizenship.
From a young age, I recognized that many of my Latine peers did not have access to the same
opportunities. I later realized that this was related to legal status, as immigration status directly affects
access to educational, economic, and social service opportunities. Witnessing the marginalization of
Latines motivated me to address educational and health care disparities in my community. However, I
began to sense that my individual efforts had little effect on the root causes of these inequalities. This laid
the framework for my current work in immigration, where I have observed how the U.S. immigration
system is a catalyst of the growing marginalization of the Latine community. My background, education,
and experience solidify my decision to continue advocacy efforts for Latines in the legal field and make
me a prime candidate for work in immigration policy reform.
As a teenager, I addressed issues indirectly related to the effects of immigration policies. I
volunteered at a Hispanic center supporting ESL students. I served as an interpreter for Spanish-speaking
patients at COVID testing sites and my university’s student-run health clinic. As an intern for the Public
Defender Service for D.C., I built the defense case for an undocumented client being accused of child-sex
abuse. As an immigration paralegal, I helped people directly affected by immigration policies. I filed
various immigration benefits applications for victims of violent crimes, domestic violence, and
persecution. My clients were also victims of the U.S. immigration system, subject to policies, regulations,
and procedures that make it almost impossible for them to obtain legal status. My work experience has
taught me how to be an advocate, and above all, a friend. As the world becomes desensitized to the stories
of asylum seekers, families being ripped apart, and people dying in detention centers like caged animals, I
will loudly voice these injustices by obtaining a law degree and expanding my legal advocacy.
My academic interest in immigration and international law has deepened my resolve to find a
systemic solution through policy reform work. As an undergraduate, I learned how the agenda of U.S.
foreign policy delayed democratic growth and created political and economic instability in many Latin
American countries. I began to explore how this instability became the driving force behind generational
migration from these countries to the United States. I examined the relationship between political,
economic, social, and environmental conditions and the growing migration crisis. Studying immigration
law will inspire me to create reformative solutions that address the following: providing immigration
relief to the millions of undocumented people living in the United States; implementing a system that prioritizes the right to resettle; incorporating
reparations for the generational effects of U.S. foreign policy; and fostering international cooperation to
address the source of migrant driving factors. I will contribute to an innovative immigration system that is
considerate of historical implications and receptive to unpredictable migration, while upholding the
democratic principles of equality and accountability.
A common experience of bicultural people growing up in their non-native country is feeling, ni
de aquí, ni de allá; from neither here nor there. As a Guatemalan-American primarily raised in the United
States, I make the conscious effort to engage in Guatemalan cultural practices. I speak Spanish every day
and I involve myself in work that allows me to pursue this passion. I strengthened my Spanish fluency by
studying Hispanic linguistics, interpretation, and translation. I uphold the central values of family and
strength in identity by maintaining regular contact with my family and visiting Guatemala annually. All
Latine cultures view community as family, and advocating for immigrants’ rights closely aligns with my
identity, values, and purpose. This work challenges me to draw from every aspect of my background,
education, and experience.
There are two main obstacles that could discourage me from working on immigration policy
reform: the increasing polarization of immigration issues, and the disproportionately low percentage of
Latina law school graduates. To this, I respond that I am poderosa. Poderosa comes from the word poder,
which means “to be able.” My background makes me able to connect. My education makes me able to
learn. My experience makes me able to change. Hostility will not diminish my determination. Statistics
will not define my professional contributions. That is mi poder, my power.

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

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Valentin.Christina.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*