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

Maryori Sosa

Current Mailing Address

100 Chicago Ave
Apt 305
Evanston, IL 60202
United States
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If mailing address is temporary, expected date when current mailing address is no longer valid

05/16/2026

Permanent Address (only if different from Current Mailing Address)

1692 Jajef Ave
Conley, GA 30288
United States
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Phone

(678) 226-3795

Connection to Illinois

Law Student at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

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

TBD

Name of Law School

Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

Class year

2nd year law student

Full Time or Part Time Student?

Full Time

Date you began attending THIS law school

08/22/2024

Anticipated Graduation Date

05/16/2027

Current GPA

3.519

Name of Undergraduate Institution

The College of Wooster

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

BA, Political Science

Undergraduate Graduation Date

05/16/2020

GPA

3.87

Were you employed in 2025?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

Discover Financial Services/Capital One, Self-employed

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?

77,800

Do you expect to be employed in 2026?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

Self-employed

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

77,800

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

50,000

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

Own, mortgage is $1000.00 a month.

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

Dad: Health insurance through the exchange, Mom: No health insurance

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

Total Tuition Cost $

112,950.00

Books Cost $

1,776.00

Fees Cost $

891.00

Housing Cost $

24,000.00

Food Cost $

6,000.000

Other Costs $ (describe)

$10,000.00; Northwestern-provided Health Insurance cost, parking, car insurance

Total Expenses $ (add above entries)

155,617.00

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

Student Loans $

40,500.00

Scholarships and Grants $

79,772.00

Work Study, if any $

Personal Contribution (Savings/Employment) $

35,345.00

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

Total Funding $ (add above entries)

155,617.00

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

62,296.68

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)

Vice-President of Marketing
Kellogg First-Generation Student Association
October 2025 – Present

The Kellogg First-Generation Student Association supports first-generation and low-income MBA students by fostering community, mentorship, and professional development. The organization serves a diverse student body, including many Hispanic/Latino students navigating graduate education as first-generation scholars.

As Vice-President of Marketing, I lead the development and execution of outreach strategies to increase visibility, engagement, and participation in programming. I manage communications campaigns and event promotion to ensure first-generation students—particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds—have access to community-building and professional resources.

Tech and Marketing Chair
Northwestern JD-MBA Association
January 2025 – Present

The Northwestern JD-MBA Association connects dual-degree students across the Pritzker School of Law and Kellogg School of Management to build interdisciplinary community and professional development opportunities.

I manage the organization’s website, social media, and event communications to increase visibility and participation. Through targeted outreach and inclusive promotion strategies, I help ensure that students from underrepresented communities, including Hispanic/Latino students, are engaged in programming at the intersection of law and business.

1L Representative
Northwestern Latino Law Students Association (LLSA)
October 2024 – May 2025

LLSA supports Latino law students through mentorship, academic support, professional development, and advocacy. The organization also strengthens connections between students and the broader Hispanic legal community.

As 1L Representative, I supported first-year Latino law students by coordinating community-building events, professional panels, and mentorship initiatives. I contributed to programming that fostered belonging, cultural celebration, and academic success within the Hispanic law student community.

Founder & Co-President
Latinas Unidas, The College of Wooster
February 2018 – May 2020

Latinas Unidas was founded to unite and empower Latina and Hispanic students on campus. It became the second-largest Latinx organization at the College of Wooster and served as a space for cultural celebration, professional development, and advocacy.

I established the organization and led its strategic direction and programming. I organized educational events highlighting Latin American cultural diversity, professional development workshops, mentorship initiatives, and community service opportunities. I also worked to increase institutional recognition of Hispanic students’ experiences on campus.

Founder & President
First-Generation Student Organization, The College of Wooster
January 2017 – May 2020

The First-Generation Student Organization was the first campus group dedicated to supporting first-generation and low-income students, many of whom were Hispanic and immigrant students. The organization provided academic resources, mentorship, and community-building opportunities.

I founded the organization, developed programming and events, and created an alumni mentorship network to support students’ academic and professional advancement. I also advocated for increased institutional resources for first-generation and low-income students.

Senator At-Large
Student Government Association, The College of Wooster
March 2017 – August 2018

The Student Government Association represents the student body in institutional decision-making.

As an elected Senator At-Large, I advocated for initiatives supporting underrepresented students, including Hispanic and first-generation communities. I participated in governance discussions and worked to elevate equity and inclusion priorities within college leadership.

Alumni Volunteer
The Posse Foundation
May 2020 – Present

The Posse Foundation identifies and trains diverse student leaders—many from low-income and Hispanic communities—and provides full-tuition leadership scholarships and support throughout college.

As an alumni volunteer, I mentor scholars and support events such as Winter Career Day. I provide guidance on professional development, graduate education, and navigating corporate and legal careers to expand access to opportunity for underrepresented students.

Operations Manager
Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA), Atlanta Chapter
April 2020 – April 2022

ALPFA is the largest Latino professional association in the United States and is dedicated to advancing Latino leadership in corporate America.

As Operations Manager, I supported strategic planning and managed internal and external operations. I helped coordinate professional development programs, networking events, and corporate partnerships aimed at increasing representation and economic mobility for Hispanic professionals.

Associate (Pro-Bono Consultant)
Change Agents Pro-Bono Consulting (Client: UnidosUS)
November 2019 – April 2020

Change Agents provided pro-bono consulting services to nonprofit organizations. I worked with UnidosUS, the largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, which serves Hispanic communities in areas including civic engagement, immigration, education, and economic opportunity.

I conducted research, developed strategic documents, and provided consulting support to strengthen programmatic impact and organizational effectiveness in service of Latino communities nationwide.

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 grew up straddling two worlds: the one my parents knew, built on hard work and sacrifice, and the one I was learning to navigate, filled with systems and opportunities they never encountered. In 2001, my family and I left our home in Arequipa, Peru, leaving behind everything and embarking on a life-altering journey to the United States, driven by the hope of safety, financial stability, and the opportunity to build a better future. Like many immigrants, our path was strewn with challenges ranging from language barriers, economic hardship, to navigating a complex immigration system. As the eldest daughter, I grew up with many responsibilities and faced challenges that taught me grit and resilience long before I even knew what those words meant. I stepped into adult roles early on, becoming my family’s translator, accountant, tutor, and a caregiver for my younger siblings. The pressure I felt, both internal and external, however, was never because my parents demanded it. It came from knowing that their most impactful life decision, immigrating to the United States, granted me a life full of opportunity and a chance at self-actualization.

For as long as I can remember, my parents labored in physically demanding jobs, my mom as a hotel housekeeper and my dad as an auto and diesel mechanic. Witnessing their sacrifices, the long hours scrubbing Hampton Inn bathrooms and hours spent under hoods of cars and trucks, I pushed myself to be the best I could, even if that meant putting myself in situations that I did not feel comfortable in. I internalized the belief that just like discomfort was not a barrier for them, it would not be a barrier for me. That belief carried me from a cramped basement apartment in Paterson, New Jersey, which my family shared with another family when we first arrived in America, to a private liberal arts college in rural Ohio, where acres of cornfields surrounded the city and where you would find a horse and buggy parking section at the local Walmart. I became the first in my family to pursue higher education, arriving on campus with little understanding of academia and with a deep sense of imposter syndrome. I often felt out of place, but I refused to let that stop me. With the help of mentors, nonprofit programs, and other resources, I found my footing and learned to navigate higher education as a first-generation, low-income student.

The courage I found to adapt and persist even when my own uncertainty outweighed my confidence was the very same courage my parents showed in choosing to immigrate. Those experiences have sharpened my perspective, fueled my drive, and strengthened my grit, shaping the person I am today. My decision to pursue a JD-MBA at Northwestern University stems from a drive to combine access and impact. A few months into my first post-graduate job in Consulting, I knew that I wanted to work in the intersection of law and business, two disciplines that shape how companies grow, how capital flows, and ultimately, how opportunities are distributed. The JD equips me with the analytical, research, and advocacy skills to navigate the legal frameworks that govern these systems, while the MBA strengthens my understanding of strategy, finance, and organizational leadership. Together, these graduate programs provide the foundation I need to create value not just for clients, but for organizations, communities, and society at large, enabling me to translate expertise, resources, and influence into real-world change. I want to help shape transformative transactions that not only drive profit but also create shared value: strengthening communities, expanding representation, and supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs. My goal is to demonstrate that corporate success and social progress are not competing priorities, that they, in fact, can also be interdependent.

Today, I hold immense pride in being a Latina immigrant from a working-class family, a product of Title I public schools, and now a JD-MBA student at one of the nation’s best universities. My decision to pursue a JD-MBA is more than an academic endeavor; it is a continuation of my lifelong commitment to using every skill, platform, and privilege I have to open doors for others. It also reflects my goal of leveraging my education, my career, and platform to help build a more equitable and inclusive future. As I continue my education into a career in law, I carry with me another lesson my parents instilled in me growing up, that the greatest measure of success is not how far I climb, but how many others I can bring with me.

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

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Sosa.Margie.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*