LaLSA supports Latinx students and provides opportunities for NYU School of Law students to be a part of and serve the wider Latinx community.
We help students adjust to the demands of law school by offering programs that focus on professional and academic development, and providing a network of friends and alumni. At the same time, LaLSA is a source of dedicated Latinx students who provide public service to the large and diverse Latinx community, from mentoring Latinx children in lower income neighborhoods to providing bilingual assistance to adults. We are also active in national law student groups that provide mentoring for prospective Latinx law students nationwide. LaLSA social events are an integral part of how we work and create our community. Potluck dinners, salsa dancing in the city, parties, visits to museums, all provide time to socialize with fellow students and enjoy the many wonders of New York City.
2019-2020 LaLSA Board
Executive Co-Chairs
Ashley Dean & Jesica Tenaglia
Internal Vice President
Elena Rodriguez Anderson
Treasurer
Andre Ceccotti
Social Co-Chairs
Ana Lopez & Adrian Melendez-Cooper
Private Sector Professional Development Co-Chairs
Amanda Gonzalez-Burton & Mariana Munera
Public Interest Professional Development Chair
Sofia Lopez Franco
Political Action and Community Outreach Chair
Alex Cubaleski
Alumni Chair & Metro LaLSA Delegate
Hannah Umansky-Castro
Academic Chair
Sylvia Precht-Rodriguez
Admissions Co-Chairs
Clara Correa & Josephine Ramseyer
Communications Chair
Nick Teleky
LaLSA Statement on DACA
The Latinx Law Students Association (LaLSA) is repulsed by President Trump’s recent announcement to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program. We know that many of our members are personally affected by the President’s decision and are wondering what’s next. LaLSA re-affirms our commitment to you all. We know deeply that no one in our community is disposable. We see you, we love you, and we will fight for you.
President Trump’s announcement is the latest result of a year-long anti-immigrant campaign founded on reinvigorating centuries-old fears of immigrants of color and encouraging hatred towards our people and non-Latinx immigrants of color. In the last month, we have seen President Trump pardon a sheriff infamous for his racially motivated abuses of Latinxs, encourage police violence at a rally meant to invoke terror against Salvadoran and Central American teenagers, and condone white supremacist groups.
Despite President Trump and the anti-immigrant movement’s attempt to privilege some immigrants over others, know that we will keep on fighting for our entire community. We will keep on fighting for our vulnerable, for our criminalized, for our LGBTQ siblings, for our refugees fleeing violence. We will keep on fighting for a future in which our potential is actualized. A future without militarized walls, without our community in detention centers or prison cells. A future where our worth is not calculated by our intellectual or physical labor, but is understood simply because we exist. Know that we love you. Know that we will keep on fighting for you and the non-Latinx communities affected by our severely broken immigration system.
If you would like to help DACA-recipients pay legal fees ($495) to renew their applications, please donate and share this fundraiser. Additionally, please contact your senators and urge them to defend DACA, without further militarizing the border, or deporting more immigrants. Text “Resist” to 50409 to send a fax to your senators.
If you are a student or know an NYU staff member in need of any legal assistance, please contact the NYU Immigrant Defense Initiative at www.law.nyu.edu/immigrantrightsclinic/IDI for free legal advice and representation.
2018-2019 LaLSA Board
Executive Co-Chairs
Alexis Alvarez & Juan Martinez-Hill
Social Co-Chairs
Branden Lau & Daniela Serna
Private Sector Professional Development Co-Chairs
Elizabeth Damaskos & Eric Padilla
Public Interest Professional Development Chair
Juan Bodeya
Community Service & Political Action Chair
Michelle Rosales
Alumni Chair & Metro LaLSA Delegate
Nahuel Fefer
Academic Chair
Maryam Sonboli
Admissions Co-Chairs
Katherine Herlod & Nicolas Shump
Communications Chair
Haley Patterson
National Latina/o Law Student Association (NLLSA) Conference
Conference Chair - Melissa Quintana
Conference Planning Committee, NYU Law Subcommittee Chair - Nicholle Lamartina Palacios
Conference Planning Committee, NYU Law Subcommittee Member - Elizabeth Damaskos
Conference Planning Committee, NYU Law Subcommittee Member - Juan Martinez-Hill
2017-2018 LaLSA Board
Treasurer
Stephanie Klinkenberg-Ramirez
Social Co-Chairs
Nicole Blansett & Tatiana Fields
Professional Development Co-Chairs
Clara Aragone-Diaz & Fatima Carrillo
Alumni Chair & Metro LaLSA Delegate
Avelino Garcia
Political Action & Community Service Chair
Gerardo Romo
Academic Chair
Caroline Diaz
Admissions Co-Chairs
Pia Figuerola & Edwin Abundis
Communications Chair
Vanessa Vallecillo
2016-2017 LaLSA Board
Executive Co-Chairs
Claudia Carvajal & Nico Duque-Franco
Treasurer
Juan Hernandez
Social Chairs
Claudia Diaz & Pati de Lucio
Academic Chair
Laura Arango
Political Action & Community Service Chair
Mason Pesek
Alumni Chair
Kristen Nicol
Admissions Chairs
Verónica Casellas
Professional Development Chairs
Britney Nagle & Ana Koff
Secretary
Leticia M. Quezada
For more information about LaLSA, please contact law.lalsa@nyu.edu or visit our Facebook group. Incoming and prospective students are encouraged to reach out!