Lawtina in the Making: Law School Journey

Welcome to my fundraising page

04-03-2024 UPDATE:

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share a few updates:

1.) I toured Santa Clara University School of Law with Dean Kaufman and it felt like home. SCU Law is my current dream school. They currently offer the specific clinic that I am interested in: Northern California Innocence Project. Touring the school gave my confidence a BOOST and I was also able to sit in on my very first law school class taught by none other than Dean Kaufman himself. I look forward to applying to SCU Law in the fall and hope to receive my acceptance soon after. :)

2.) I was ACCEPTED into LSAC's PLUS Guided Journey Program https://www.lsac.org/discover-law/diversity-law-school/plus-program/plus-guided . I AM SUPER EXCITED to have been selected to be a part of this years cohort. This is another milestone reached in my journey of becoming a Criminal Defense Attorney. :) I look forward to taking advantage of every single opportunity for support provided through this program. Stay tuned on more to come as I embark this journey mid April.

3.) Tutoring is going-slowly I have narrowed down on who has worked out the best for me. I continue to work with two fabulous tutors-one having been recommended by a friend.

4.) The toughest update to provide. After much deliberation I have come to terms that I must place my health first and I've decided to reschedule my April exam for June. Its not a setback but more so an opportunity to continue to enhance my skills with what I am learning through tutoring. I'm undergoing a significant medical procedure two days after my April exam was scheduled and I realized I was doing a disservice to myself by trying to complete both items in such a short amount of time. Rest assured your donations are being utilized in the matter that I've originally stated. I will continue to study during recovery. I haven't lost sight of my goals <3

Thank you for your continued support and endless well wishes. I hope to provide another update soon after surgery.

My name is Magdalena A. Alvarez. I am an aspiring lawyer embarking her law school journey.

I'm a non-traditional aspiring attorney. I am currently studying for the LSAT, Law School Admissions Test. I've sat for the exam 3 times and continue to find myself struggling to meet the average desired scores for the schools I am targeting for acceptances.

Struggle is not a new word to my vocabulary. As the first born daughter to Mexican immigrants I struggled to find my place in the United States. I was constantly comparing myself with my peers from our customs, to financials strains, to living environments. School was an outlet that allowed me to excel and be an equal. I wasn't the brightest but did achieve several milestones through my educational journey; graduating with my Bachelor's Degree in Criminology with an emphasis on Victimology with high honors.

For the past decade I've focused on working with underserved populations. As a survivor, I dedicated 10 years to working with survivors of DV, SA, and HT (domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking). Part of working in the non-profit sector meant I had to be resourceful and strategic. I've enjoyed being a part of others' healing journey as it brought me closer to my own healing.

After reaching several milestones in my career, I began to contemplate my role in the system. I learned that I was tired of living on the sidelines. That's when I made the decision to pursue law, finally!

With the support of the DACA program I will be able to practice law once I get to that step of the process. For now, I find myself struggling with the beginning stages, the LSAT. As an educated professional, I have never felt less uneducated. I have 2 more opportunities at scoring higher before I have to wait 3 years to sit for the exam again.

I resigned from a position that consumed a lot of my personal time to allow me additional study time. I've been able to raise my score by 10 points, which is AMAZING! I've reached a point where my scores have plateaued and though it is hard to admit for someone like myself, asking for help has never come easily for me. My comfort zone tends to gravitate towards being a giver, not a receiver. I was recently connected with a community member who also found herself pursuing law school at a later time in her life. She normalized the idea of reaching out and exhausting all the resources that are within or beyond my reach because lets face it, LAW SCHOOL IS NOT CHEAP.

I'm seeking communal support to finance private tutoring at this stage of my journey. I need to score 12 points higher to be in a good position for scholarships. Funding my cause can help ensure that my education be paid for given that my dream is to continue to work in the non-profit sector. I'd love to continue to help my community but I also need to be realistic and admit that I need help to reach this goal.

I'm happy you've made it to my page and would appreciate your support in any way-donation-sharing-word of mouth- or introduction to a connection (https://www.linkedin.com/in/magdalenaaalvarez/)

I guarantee your support will go a long way, not just for my journey, but in the long run you are funding the future for so many others!

With immense gratitude,

Magdalena A. Alvarez

#shesepuede