For Valery Vasquez Diaz, a second-year student at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University, working with immigrant communities on Long Island and assisting them with their legal rights is an experience she’s longed for since childhood.
When she was four years old, her family immigrated to the United States and faced challenging legal barriers while trying to assist her uncle with the immigration process.
“I was really close to him when I was younger, but we weren’t able to file his papers to bring him to the United States for another 18 years,” she said. “That drove me to learn more about immigrant rights.”
Drawn to the various opportunities for practical, hands-on experience that Hofstra Law offers, she saw the Law School as the perfect fit–one that would allow her to stay close to home and have an immediate impact on her community.
A Strong Legal Foundation
Students who attend Hofstra Law are equipped from day one with resources that will help them succeed beyond the walls of a typical law school classroom. Vasquez Diaz was drawn to the Hofstra Law Pro Se Legal Assistance Program, eager to bring her first-year constitutional law and civil procedure classes to life under the guidance of Professor Jennifer Gundlach.
“Hearing fellow Hofstra Law students talking about the clinics, and how they’re the best part of their experiences made me really want to try one out,” she said.
“I’ve always been a scholar and loved going to class, but it’s a different feeling when you apply what you’re learning outside of the classroom.”
The Pro Se Legal Assistance Program, created in 2018, helps enhance access to justice and improve the process for self-represented civil litigants with federal civil cases, including those involving civil rights, employment discrimination, labor law, and social security benefits.
“I’ve always been a scholar and loved going to class, but it’s a different feeling when you apply what you’re learning outside of the classroom,” she said. “Working with clients has given me a better understanding of my course topics as I’ve had to research them further for the Program.”
Her work in the program has not only refined her legal knowledge but also shaped her into a well-rounded legal mind that can thrive in multiple aspects of the legal profession, such as effective communication.
“I’m a bit of an introvert, so learning how to talk to clients is something I’m starting to get better at,” she said. “I’ve grown confidence in myself because I’ve learned how to take complicated legalese and break it down to my clients in ways that make it not so complicated.”
Along with her involvement in the Pro Se Legal Assistance Program, Vasquez Diaz is also a Freedman Social Justice Fellow, a mentor in the Mentor-Mentee Program, involved in various student organizations such as Outlaw and Women of Color Collective, and a student attorney in the Youth Advocacy Clinic.
Working in the Community
Throughout her law school journey, Vasquez Diaz has engaged in a variety of academic pursuits, including an integrative fellowship offered through Hofstra Law in collaboration with its nonprofit partners.
The Long Island Immigration Advocacy Fellowship, created to help train the next generation of immigration lawyers on Long Island, provides students with mentoring and professional development opportunities, as well as assistance securing summer internships. Vasquez Diaz was placed with Make the Road New York, where her work exposed her to a holistic view of immigration law.
“When I help and volunteer my time, I want it to be the best legal representation that a client can have, pro bono or not.”
“I was glad to be partnered with the organization because we do much more than solely focus on legal rights,” she said. “Make the Road New York is big on teaching clients about their rights. It’s not just a legal job. I got to meet other students who were also interested in immigrant rights work. There were housing and workplace justice interns and we frequently met to talk about the different projects we were working on.”
Vazquez Diaz also sat in on a few asylum cases, spoke to clients about adjusting their statuses, and filled out legal forms. With the work that she continues to do, she hopes she can make a memorable impact on those she serves.
“I want to be a person that people can come to for support,” she said. “When I help and volunteer my time, I want it to be the best legal representation that a client can have, pro bono or not.”
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