Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Lack of Latino lawyers motivates UCF student to push for change
UCF political science/ criminal justice student Ashley Cardona looks at the stats that show lack of representation of Latinos in law fields and wants to make a difference.
Nearly 20% of the U.S. population is Hispanic, according to 2020 U.S. Census data. But as of 2021, only about 6.9% of lawyers in America are Hispanic, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows.
Cardona hopes to be part of an uptick in those numbers and be the change in that representation by becoming a criminal defense attorney.
“I think poor people and people who cannot afford to have good lawyers deserve to have good representation,” she said.
To help make that dream a reality, Cardona has joined UCF United LatinX Law Association, also known as ULLA.
A first-generation senior, Cardona, said that unlike some of her peers, nobody in her family is in the legal field, leading her to feel overwhelmed and uninformed about the profession she decided to pursue.
When Cardona joined ULLA she met students who had gone through similar life experiences like hers and have helped her gain more knowledge on the legal field. She says that being part of this organization has helped her understand her career path.
“I get to speak to students about things like the LSAT,” Cardona said. “Before ULLA I had no information about it.”
According to ULLA’s website, the Association strives to establish connections between a diverse group of individuals and aid them in utilizing legal knowledge to promote LatinX/Hispanic culture within the UCF community.
As secretary of ULLA, Cardona said that she performs administrative tasks such as taking attendance at meetings, sending out reminders, updating
the roster, and answering emails.
Izabella Tirano, president of ULLA, said that her goal is to aid members with their professional development.
“My goal as President is to create a warm community for Hispanic and Latin people and help aid everyone with their professional development in the legal field,” Tirano said.
Vice President of ULLA,
Miranda Fermine, said that she hopes to expand ULLA through her efforts as the organization’s liaison.
“I try to network and get the club out to as many people as possible,” Fermine said.
Founded in 2020, ULLA says that they encourage their members in any and all fields of legal pursuits.
Fermine is concerned about being a Hispanic woman entering the legal field.
“I understand that everything I do I have to do better than my male colleagues, or my caucasian male colleagues,” Fermine said.
Tirano said that ULLA, which has 29 current members, also helps its members make friendships within the legal field.
“Moving forward we will always have someone we know and that we know in the future too,” Tirano said.
ULLA provides its members with LSAT prep seminars, resume-building workshops, help with law school applications and fun activities to help them bond. The club stays active with events and allows members to meet virtually or in person.
Back in February, ULLA held a logic games workshop webinar with Blueprint LSAT preparation that helped prepare members for the logical reasoning section of the LSAT.
The event had a high rate of attendance with three members attending the webinar in person and 17 choosing to attend virtually.
ULLA aims to make LSAT preparation affordable with dues being $25 for a single semester and $45 for two semesters.
Tirano said that they keep dues low to keep the club accessible and still be able to provide resources for members such as discounts with LSAT preparation companies like Blueprint.
“We do work with people who are not able to afford those dues,” Tirano said.
After only joining ULLA in the Fall semester of 2021 and already becoming vice president, Fermine said that ULLA has given her a family at UCF.
“My time in ULLA has been wonderful,” said Fermine. “It has given me a sense of family and a sense of familiarity.”