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

Jasmine Flores

Current Mailing Address

25 E Delaware Pl
609
Chicago, IL 60611
United States
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Phone

(310) 903-0377

Connection to Illinois

Moved here for school. Living here with my fiance and will be seeking employment in IL post-grad.

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

Chicago

Name of Law School

northwestern pritzker school of law

Class year

1st year law student

Full Time or Part Time Student?

Full Time

Date you began attending THIS law school

08/26/2025

Anticipated Graduation Date

05/13/2028

Current GPA

3.1

Name of Undergraduate Institution

California State University, Sacramento

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

BA - Political Science; BS Criminal Justice

Undergraduate Graduation Date

05/15/2021

GPA

3.76

Undergraduate Honors, Awards, or Special Recognitions

Honors/Awards: Dean’s List, Magna Cum Laude
Scholarships: Faculty Endowment Scholarship, Hodson Endowment Scholarship, Sacramento Semester Alumni Scholarship.

Were you employed in 2025?

yes

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

Los Angeles Superior Court

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?

$40,000

Do you expect to be employed in 2026?

If yes, please identify your employer(s).

n/a

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

$8,000

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

45,000

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 $

$79,772

Books Cost $

$2,076

Fees Cost $

$2,404

Housing Cost $

18000

Food Cost $

4000

Other Costs $ (describe)

$6,195 (Health Insurance), $861 (Health Services Fee),

Total Expenses $ (add above entries)

113308

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

Student Loans $

55,000

Scholarships and Grants $

60,000

Work Study, if any $

Personal Contribution (Savings/Employment) $

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

Total Funding $ (add above entries)

115,000

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)

Street Law
Dates: October 10, 2026 and November 18, 2026
Organization: Street Law is a legal education program that partners with schools and community organizations to provide practical, accessible legal education to students, many of whom come from underserved and predominantly Hispanic communities.
Description of Service: Facilitated interactive lessons on constitutional rights and the legal system, helping students understand how the law affects their daily lives and empowering them to engage with civic institutions.

Community Violence Legal Network
Dates: August, 2025
Organization: The Community Violence Legal Network provides legal support and resources to individuals and families impacted by community violence, particularly in marginalized communities of color.
Description of Service: Through the Northwestern Service day, attended a training about community outreach and legal support efforts aimed at addressing the legal consequences of violence and connecting impacted individuals to legal and social services.

Orale Long Beach
Dates: 2024-2025
Organization: Participated in large-scale coordination of ORALE’s ICE Rapid Response Network, including staffing and supporting the rapid-response hotline for reported ICE sightings. Assisted in activating trained community responders to monitor and verify sightings, disseminate accurate alerts, and engage the Community Defense Network. Supported emergency food deliveries to families impacted by enforcement activity and helped provide Know Your Rights education for immigrant families, workers, and small business owners.

Team Celebrate
Dates: 8/2018-8/2025
Organization: Team Celebrate works with youth and families in underserved communities, providing mentorship, academic support, and enrichment opportunities.
Description of Service: Volunteered in programs supporting youth development and community engagement, helping create safe and supportive environments for students, including those from Hispanic backgrounds.

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)

When I first saw my father panhandling on the streets, I didn’t understand why he couldn’t just come home. Yes, it was a tight fit—the five of us in a one-bedroom apartment—but I missed him. I didn’t yet grasp that although my father fled the repression and violence of the Salvadoran Civil War, he turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with his trauma. I didn’t understand how his substance abuse would inevitably destroy his ability to be a parent, result in years of incarceration, and create a cycle of instability and violence for our family. My mother tried to shield us from the worst of it, and her resilience grounded me, but my trauma lingered.
Similar circumstances led many of my family members into the criminal justice system. By sixteen, I stood at that same crossroads until a brush with the justice system forced me to reevaluate my path. I was given a chance to step back and make different choices. The difference between me and those who sat in juvenile court wasn’t character, worth, or money—it was luck. I realized how rare of a chance I had and that many kids never get that opportunity. Even with that opportunity, my trauma didn’t just disappear. My C-PTSD was a constant reminder of the violence I grew up with, but instead of letting it define me, I use it to fuel my fight for justice.
As a Central American Latina growing up in Compton, California, I saw how the legal system often fails the communities it is meant to serve. I was determined to change that, so I tried understanding the structures that failed my community. My journey started in legislative spaces, first at the California State Assembly and later at the U.S. House of Representatives. I focused on policies at the intersection of immigration and criminal justice. I researched how systemic barriers, such as language barriers, impacted justice-involved youth, but soon realized that policy alone wasn’t enough. Instead, lasting change requires action on the ground and should focus on interactions with those directly impacted by these laws.
This realization led me to the Los Angeles Superior Court as a Judicial Fellow. I saw firsthand how the justice system handles youth who have a similar upbringing to mine, and how it continues to perpetuate their trauma. Every day, I saw the faces behind the statistics. I saw kids who reminded me of my younger self, fighting through a system that isn’t designed for their success. My research on Teen Court recidivism rates highlighted how restorative practices can lead to better outcomes for justice-involved youth. Alternative interventions don’t just reduce recidivism rates, they also give people hope and a chance to rewrite their narratives.
As a Program Coordinator, I tackled the systemic barriers marginalized communities face every day. My experiences also drew me to community-based immigrant defense work. Through organizations such as Órale Long Beach, I supported immigrant-led rapid response efforts during ICE enforcement activity. I've seen that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Reform has to meet communities where they are at and address their needs in a meaningful way. My time at the Los Angeles Superior Court has cemented my desire to prevent justice-involved youth from reoffending. While the system has flaws, I have seen that it is filled with individuals committed to positive change.
As an attorney, I want to be among those who bring compassion and understanding to the forefront of my work. I will tackle the barriers that continue to push students into the justice system. I will fight for intervention programs that help students break the cycles of harm and incarceration. After graduating, I hope to become an Equal Justice Works to advocate for justice-involved youth through direct representation, legislative advocacy, and community education. That experience will prepare me to join a youth advocacy nonprofit, such as The Gault Center, where I can work to reform juvenile courts, address racial disparities, and create pathways for marginalized youth to heal and succeed.
I chose to break the cycle of incarceration and violence because I wanted to be the person I needed growing up. I will be someone who sees the potential of every child, no matter their past.

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

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Flores.Jasmine.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*