Contact: Hon. Javier E. Vargas
Title: NYC Civil Court Judge, Housing Part
Phone: (718) 466-3026
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.HNBA.com
Under the leadership of HNBA National President, Cynthia D. Mares, the Hispanic National Bar Association is launching a new program to support high school seniors who are considering a career in the law and who come from populations traditionally under-represented in the U.S. legal community. The program is run under the leadership of Jennifer Trusso, Esq., HNBA Vice President of Programs and a partner at Sheppard Mullin in
Orange County, California, with the assistance of state and federal judges across the country.
The HNBA Law School—Sí Se Puede (“LSSSP”) is accepting applications for its inaugural class of high school students in New York City, now through March 16, 2015. In New York City, the program is being managed by HNBA-NY Deputy President, Housing Court Judge Javier E. Vargas, and in Westchester County by Greenburgh Town Court Justice Walter Rivera. The Program will count on the support of additional New York judges as well as a group of attorneys and law students who will volunteer their time toward encouraging youth from diverse backgrounds to pursue a legal career.
Law School—Sí Se Puede seeks highly motivated students who: (1) will start college in the Fall of 2015; (2) have a connection to New York City; and (3) are members of groups that are traditionally under-represented in the law. In particular, LSSSP encourages low-income students, students of color, and/or first generation college students to apply.
LSSSP will follow the students through their four years of college, provide them with insights on the benefits of a career in the law, and demystify the process of applying to law school. Participants in the program will receive one-on-one mentorship from New York-based attorneys and will touch base as a group several times a year to share with one another how they are progressing toward their goal of attending law school. At the end of this document, please find the application for the LSSSP Program to be emailed to [email protected].
“The HNBA Law School Sí Se Puede program is another example of HNBA’s commitment to supporting the educational pipeline by encouraging youth from diverse backgrounds to pursue careers in the law,” said HNBA National President, Cynthia D. Mares. “This long-term program will support students throughout their undergraduate studies and will provide them with the information and resources they need from the beginning. LSSSP will help to level the playing field in terms of information and resources, from which college internships may be beneficial to prep courses to study for the Law School Admission Test.”
The Hon. Javier Vargas adds: “I traveled alone from a rural community in Puerto Rico to seek educational opportunities in the mainland United States. Consequently, while incubating the idea of applying to law school as a college student, I had very little idea or guidance as to how best to prepare myself for the challenge — including the importance of securing internships and other professional experiences as well as working toward completing the Law School Admissions Test successfully.”
The goal of this program is to make up for these types of deficits — ones that are especially felt by those who come from underrepresented groups in our profession. HNBA National President-Elect Robert Maldonado, Esq., who is based in New York, echoed similar sentiments and emphasized his desire to ensure that more students from backgrounds similar to his own are represented in the legal profession.
Law School - Sí Se Puede was originally founded by Judge Christina Arguello, a Federal District Judge on the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. From humble beginnings in Buena Vista, Colorado, the judge became the first Latina from Colorado admitted to Harvard Law School, the first Latina partner at a large law firm in Colorado, and the first Latina to be confirmed as a judge on Colorado’s federal bench.
The Hispanic National Bar Association is an incorporated, not-for-profit, national membership association that represents the interests of Hispanic attorneys, judges, law professors, legal assistants, law students, and legal professionals in the United States and its territories. Since 1972, the HNBA has acted as a force for positive change within the legal profession by creating opportunities for Hispanic lawyers and by helping generations of lawyers to succeed. The HNBA has also effectively advocated on issues of importance to the national Hispanic community. For more information about Law School—Sí Se Puede, please contact Judges Javier Vargas and Walter Rivera at [email protected], or
(718) 466-3026.
HNBA LAW SCHOOL-SI SE PUEDE PROGRAM APPLICATION
Directions: Answer the following questions and email to [email protected] with your answers as an attachment. Please also attach a copy of your high school transcript and your resume. The deadline for applications is March 1, 2015. Email us if you have questions about the application. Finalists for the program will be interviewed in April 2015.
A. Basic Information
Name
Email Address
Phone Number
Mailing Address
Parent or Guardian Name(s)
Parent or Guardian Phone
Birthdate
Ethnicity
High School
College you will be attending
How did you hear about this program?
Who lives with you?
Number of people in the household.
Country of Birth
Are you the first in your family to graduate:
(1) from high school or (2) from college?
Are any of your siblings in college? Have they graduated?
B. Academic/Standardized Testing
High School GPA
Class Rank
ACT Score English:
Math:
Reading:
Science:
SAT Score Critical Reading:
Math:
Writing:
C. Commitment to Mentorship
1. If you are selected for this mentoring program, you will need to commit to meeting with a lawyer mentor every month for the four years of college. We will also have periodic fellow workshops that are designed to help you build the skills to be admitted to and succeed at law school. Are you willing to make a commitment to meeting with your mentor and attending these workshops? (Note: if you are out of state we can arrange for you complete these commitments via video conference or telephone.)
____ Yes _____ No
2. Do you have a preference for a type of mentor? Male or female? A specific area of the law?
D. Short Answer: Please write no more than 250 words for each question. Please provide the answers below or on a separate sheet of paper
1. Name—at most—your three most important extracurricular activities and explain why each of them are important to you. We want to know about your passions—not about the twenty clubs you were in in high school but about the activities that you valued the most. You can even just write about your favorite club or activity. Finally, what you write about doesn’t need to have anything to do with the law.
2. List the most important awards you have received and provide a brief explanation about why they are important to you.
3. Why do you want to be a lawyer?
4. Why are you interested in participating in this mentoring program?
5. If you could have dinner with one famous person, who would you choose and why?
6. Describe a challenge you faced in life and how you overcame it.
E. Application Checklist:
1. A copy of your high school transcript.
2. Your resume.
3. Strictly Optional. Some students may have completed a senior portfolio of work done, activities pursued, and/or other experience obtained. We are happy to review something else that lets us get to know you, so feel free to attach such a document to your emailed application.
4. Strictly Optional: You can provide us with a copy of your college application materials, including those essays.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you,
Hon. Javier E. Vargas
Civil Court of the City of New York
Bronx Housing Part
1118 Grand Concourse
Bronx, New York 10456
(718) 466-3026
e-mail: [email protected]