Scholars and Alumni

Class of 2026

Ana Mariel Gonzalez-Medellin ‘26 was born in Morgantown, West Virginia and has lived in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. Mariel graduated from Georgetown University in 2021, where they majored in Culture and Politics with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. Born to immigrant parents and growing up queer, Mariel was specifically interested in the intersections of gender, sexuality, and immigration status. During their time in college, Mariel also played an active role in the Sexual Assault Peer Educators (SAPE) program, working with the other members to increase awareness about sexual assault on campus through various events and workshops. After graduating, Mariel went on to work in client services at Affordable Family Law, a legal document preparation office. In those two years, they witnessed firsthand how little Latinx representation there is in the legal field and how systemic barriers often prevent the community from seeking the help they need. 

Asha Ramachandran '26 is originally from central Massachusetts. They graduated from NYU where they studied social science, journalism, and Spanish. Asha worked at NYU's student newspaper, where they published editorials focused on social justice issues including immigration and the criminal legal system. They also received grant funding to study electronic monitoring and they were a research fellow for NYU’s Prison Education Program. Asha interned at immigration services organizations in college, where they conducted research on asylum and immigration relief and engaged in street outreach in immigrant communities. After graduating, Asha worked in pretrial services advocating for people in bail hearings. During their 1L summer, they interned at the ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project and during 2L summer, they interned at Rights Behind Bars. They are interested in advocating for people impacted by carceral systems. 

 

Class of 2027

Mariana Boully Perez ’27 was born in Medellín, Colombia and immigrated to the United States when she was 5 years old. She grew up in Maryland and moved to Texas when she was in high school. Mariana graduated from the University of Michigan in 2021, where she majored in Public Policy with a focus on civil rights, social justice, and the law. Following graduation, she worked as a paralegal at Relman Colfax PLLC, a civil rights law firm that focuses on a wide breadth of cases, such as housing discrimination, police accountability, and disability rights. Her time as a paralegal showed her how the law can be used to create positive change, and it further motivated her to go to law school. After two years as a paralegal, Mariana was awarded a Fulbright grant as an English Teaching Assistant in Colombia. She spent this time rediscovering the country she was born in, which further deepened her pride and love for her community. 

 

Annabella Lugo ‘27 was born and raised in South Florida. She graduated from Yale University in 2024 with combined bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Political Science. During her time at Yale, she worked with the law school’s Lowenstein Human Rights Project, gathering information on the derogation of due process rights during the COVID-19 pandemic in trials around the world and helping to write a report on human rights abuses against migrants under Title 42. Annabella volunteered at her university’s undergraduate Prison Project, where she participated in efforts to help pass legislation limiting the use of solitary confinement in Connecticut. She also volunteered with the undergraduate Legal Aid Association to compile a working document with legal, health, and social resources for domestic violence survivors. In between academic years, Annabella interned on Capitol Hill at the office of Congressmember Adriano Espaillat. There, she researched and drafted high-priority legislation regarding the restriction of ghost gun materials and worked closely with the communications director to draft press releases and address constituent concerns. Before her final year of university, she returned to her hometown and interned at Coast to Coast Legal Aid, where she collected data on evictions, foreclosures, and housing affordability in Broward County to design a program that connects lawyers with pro se clients in local courthouses.

Alumni

Jorge Lee Ochoa'25, Brooklyn Defenders

Gabriela McPherson '24, New Jersey Office of the Public Defender

Deborah Merino' 24, Fried Frank

Mariana Lopez' 24, 

David Jimenez '23, The Bronx Defenders (New York, NY)

Andrés Orr '23, United States District Court

Julio Castillo '22, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (New York, NY)

Jesica Tenaglia '21, The Bronx Defenders (New York, NY)

Sofia Lopez-Franco '21, IJC Fellow, The Bronx Defenders (New York, NY)

Daniela Ugaz '21, The Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project (Tucson, AZ)

Maria Romero '20, Norton Rose Fulbright, Fellowship Program at The Door (New York, NY)

Astrid Reyes '19, Staff Attorney, Human Rights and Access to Justice Program, Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice (New York, NY)

Gerardo Romo '19, Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Civil Rights Fellow, Neufeld Scheck & Brustin, LLP (New York, NY)

Bobby Hunter '18, Appellate Counsel, Center for Appellate Litigation (New York, NY)

Juliana Morgan-Trostle '17, Senior Program Associate, Acacia Center for Justice (Oakland, CA)

Mariel Villarreal '17, Senior Attorney, California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice (Oakland, CA)

Frances Dávila '16, Program Manager, Unaccompanied Children Program, Acacia Center for Justice (Oakland, CA)

Alicia Nieves '16, Chief of Staff, State Representative Trey Martinez Fischer (Austin, TX)

Cristopher Santos '15, Criminal and Civil Litigator at Cohen Williams LLP (Los Angeles, CA)

Luis Angel Reyes Savalza '15, Co-Director & Immigration Attorney, Pangea Legal Services (San Francisco, CA)

Christine LaRochelle '14, Officer, United States Customs and Immigration Services

Amy Pont '14, Staff Attorney, Legal Aid Society (New York, NY)

Lisandra Fernández-Silber '13, Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan (Detroit, MI)

Kevin Herrera '13, Legal Director, Shriver Center on Poverty Law (Chicago, IL)

Jordan Wells '13, Senior Staff Attorney, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area (San Francisco, CA)

Maria Romani '12, Immigrant Rights Program Director, ACLU of Northern California (San Francisco, CA)

Alba Lucero Villa '11, Executive Director, Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights (New York, NY)

Maribel Hernández Rivera '10, Deputy National Political Director, Director of the Equality Division, American Civil Liberties Union

Andrea Nieves '10, Supervising Attorney, Policy & Community Engagement, New York County Defender Services (New York, NY)

Tom Fritzsche '09, Executive Director, Milk with Dignity Standards (Burlington, VT)

Melissa Navarro '09,  Deputy Public Defender, Clark County Public Defender's Office (Las Vegas, NV)