A few days after moving into the Santa Cruz resident halls, I attended an event with dozens of tables at the San Miguel/San Nicholas Lawn. Each of the tables had several representations from different campus organizations. My roommates kept on the lookout for pre-health, psychology, or neuroscience organizations and I scoped out the tables for a pre-law organization. After my boyfriend finished speaking with the president from Active Minds, I stumbled across a table with a round logo. At first, I tried to read the logo to see what the organization was called, but one of the representations called out to me: “Hey, are you interested in going to law school?”
Image via Gabby Birog
The campus organization became known as the Legal Education Association for Diversity or LEAD for short. LEAD is a pre-law organization at UCSB aimed to provide little to no cost resources so that curious individuals from all backgrounds can decide whether or not they’d like to go to law school. His pitch about the organization made it seem like he was a group of like-minded individuals who aimed to bond over similar interests and experiences. Most of the members in the organization are either first-generation or people of color, or both. While the law school application process is rigorous for any prospective law student, it tends to be even more difficult for these students who must face additional challenges like having limited guidance on the process, a lack of connections in the legal field, a shortage of funds for the application fees, and more.
Image via Sydney Martin
LEAD tries to make the process as painless as possible by providing members with academic and professional development workshops, guest speakers, LSAT preparation workshops, and annual law school shadowing trips. While they got down to business, they also engage in building a community through socials, community service events, and other bonding opportunities. The successful pitch and the empowering mission statement sold me to this organization, so I decided to attend the first meeting.
Image via Leyda Alvarado
Immediately, I fell in love with the organization and what it stands for. In addition to gaining first-hand exposure as a first year to the law school application process and what it means to be a lawyer, I gained a family and second home. I came into LEAD with preconceived notions about the legal profession, but I quickly became more knowledgeable about the misconceptions and the harsh realities. Through the community service events, I learned the value of giving back to the community, particularly the environment. The socials helped to counterbalance some of the heavy topics we discussed during the meetings and gave us a chance to build lasting connections that will forever stay with me for the rest of my life.
Image via Jason Gonzalez
I had a lot of ideas and passion for the organization which inspired me to run for the Professional Development Chair position at the end of my first year. Since law schools take a holistic approach to their applicants, I wanted to ensure that students are equipped with some professional experience, whether it involves working in a law firm or a nonprofit. I also decided to be more inclusive in my weekly presentations to tailor to those members who are not so sure about whether they would like to pursue a legal career. I designed and facilitated presentations related to career development, including what a person could do with a JD, emphasized the idea of transferable skills, and how to write a resume/cover letter.
After my term, I was elected for the Co-Chairperson (Vice President) position for the upcoming year and am delighted to say that I was officially sworn in as Chairperson this last weekend. Throughout my experience in LEAD, I made so many wonderful memories and gained wondrous opportunities. The alumni connections enabled me to acquire legal internships, research opportunities, and lastly a scholarship to offset the cost of my law school applications. I met so many inspiring young people, whose personal experiences and stories of extenuating circumstances have been so empowering.
There are not enough words to describe how much love and passion that I have for this organization. I started off as a timid freshman and grew into a person who became more comfortable with public speaking and can proudly say that she made many friends these past two years. LEAD has been an outstanding organization to be a part of. The work we’ve committed ourselves towards has impacted the lives of many successful people. I cannot wait to see the amazing work we continue to do next year.