UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Students from the Penn State Law Latino Law Student Association (LLSA) traveled to Chicago recently to attend the National Latina/o Law Student Association (NLLSA) conference, held Oct. 1-3 at the Loyola University School of Law and Northwestern Law.
The 2015 theme for the annual event was “Liderazgo y Comunidad” (Leadership and Community). The conference hosted various discussion panels on a variety of topics, including awareness of Latino issues in the legal field, Latinos in the military, and executive actions on immigration. In addition to the panels, the conference also included a job fair with several large corporate firms and JAG military attorneys.
The NLLSA Conference Committee also organized multiple social activities throughout the weekend, including socials at popular Latino-inspired Chicago venues. The final evening of the conference concluded with a gala at the Metropolitan Club in the Willis Tower, which featured a keynote speech by U.S. Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez.
Five members represented Penn State Law's Latino Law Students Association at the conference: Christina Bustos, Jose Figueroa, Maria Garcia-Penuela, Melissa Rodriguez, and Vienna Vasquez. More than 35 law schools were represented at the event overall.
NLLSA is a not-for-profit corporation serving as a conduit for Latino law student voices. Founded on principles of social, ethnic, racial, gender and sexual equality, NLLSA is focused on advancing Latino academic success and commitment to community service. NLLSA is every Latino law student’s connection to the larger Latino legal community and is committed to encouraging student-led encounters, conferences, and other community-strengthening gatherings.
The Penn State Law Latino Law Student Association seeks to remedy the underrepresentation of Latinos in all segments of the legal community. To achieve this goal, LLSA assists the admissions office on recruitment matters and strives to provide enrolled Latino students with strong academic and social support. Furthermore, LLSA welcomes all individuals who are interested or curious to learn about Latin culture and legal issues specific to Latino communities. LLSA also works closely with other schools and various community and private organizations to improve conditions for the social group as a whole.