A First Gen’s Road to Law School

Empowering communities with the power of law and story.  

I’m Esmeralda De Anda, a first-generation Mexican American college graduate and the first in my family to navigate the labyrinth road to law school.  Although I’m a K-JD student (Kindergarten to law school), my road to law school has been untraditional. After high school, I attended Rio Hondo College, a community college in Whittier, and I had no clear path from community college to law school; all I knew was that law school was my goal. 

In community college, I found direction through my role as Student Secretary, where I advocated for students and helped remove barriers to education. This experience ignited my interest in leadership and advocacy, teaching me how law could be used for social change on campus. From there, I transferred to UCLA, where I volunteered for various social reform organizations, including the Prison Education Project, a non-profit offering free courses for inmates. I also worked alongside the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute to support Spanish-speaking communities. These experiences solidified my decision to pursue law in Los Angeles, the community in which I was born and raised and where I found my interest in advocacy and social justice.  

When I applied for law school, Loyola Law School was my top choice because of its emphasis on advocacy and social justice in Los Angeles. Even now, as a first-year evening student, my road to a law degree continues to be untraditional. Currently, I’m an evening student in Loyola’s Hybrid JD Evening Program, which means I can be a part-time law student and work my two jobs. Ultimately, the Hybrid Evening Program allows me to explore the legal field while still having time to pursue my interests, both legal and non-legal. Who knows? Maybe in the next four years, I can complete my bucket list. I plan to visit various states to achieve my dream of visiting all 50 states in the US, travel to Europe to visit Paris, Italy, and Spain, and even write and publish a book.  

TOPICS: 1E, Los Angeles, New Students