Eduardo Balderas
Loyola Law School. Class of 2018
- Eduardo is focused on giving back to immigrant community. The son of Mexican immigrants, he was born in Los Angeles and grew up in a working-class family in Downtown and South Los Angeles. With hard work, he became the first person in his family to attain a bachelor’s degree, majoring in Chicano Studies and minoring in Gender Studies, Education, and Labor & Workplace studies. With that solid foundation, Eduardo decided the next step was to attend Law School. That’s when he found Loyola’s Immigrant Justice Clinic at Loyola Law School. Eduardo already has been actively preparing U visa applications for the immigrant community in East LA served by the clinic. Because of the clinic, Eduardo have come to learn that people’s lives literally depend on how much work and attention he puts into their cases.
PAOLA LEON
Loyola Law School. Class of 2019
- Paola is a first-generation college graduate and earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from UC Santa Barbara. As an undergraduate, Paola volunteered for the YWCA to provide free legal services low-income domestic violence survivors. At Loyola Law, Paola has worked in-house for an international food company, handling matters related to labor and employment law. She is also a student at Loyola’s Immigrant Justice Clinic where she has filed immigrations petitions for victims of crimes and domestic abuse. This Summer, Paola will be a fellow at Harvard’s Immigration and Refugee Clinic. She plans on using her legal education to be a civil rights advocate.
KARLA I. BALLESTEROS
Loyola Law School. Class of 2020
- Karla’s admiration of her immigrants parents’ and brother’s strength and dedication inspired her to pursue a career in law. At Loyola Law School, Karla served as a clinical student for the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic, secretary of La Raza de Loyola, and coordinator for the Young Lawyers Program. Additionally, Karla spend her 2L year clerking for The Cochran Firm, where she worked on personal injury and civil rights issues. Recently, Karla was recognized as HBNA’s Intellectual Property Scholar. This summer, Karla will clerk for Kabateck LLP where she hopes to use her position to empower vulnerable communities.
