Four students at California universities win MALDEF law school scholarships

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) announced the recipients in its 2023-2024 Law School Scholarship Program. Four of the recipients attend California universities.

This year, 10 recipients received $5,000 each.

Celeste Gómez attends UC Berkeley School of Law. She is the eldest daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first-generation college graduate.

Nayarith Franco-Vasquez is a first-generation law student with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the daughter of Guatemalan immigrant business owners in Los Angeles. She attends UC Davis School of Law.

Roger Valencia is a Mexican immigrant who grew up in Santa Ana. Valencia has used his time at the UCLA School of Law to represent immigrants in removal proceedings and those who have been exploited for their labor.

Victoria Esparza is a second-year law student at Berkeley Law and a daughter of Mexican immigrants. She has mentored undocumented /DACA students, worked as a Staff Assistant to Congresswoman Veronica Escobar on Capitol Hill, and externed for Southern District of New York Judge Analisa Torres.

Since its founding in 1968, MALDEF has awarded scholarships to law students committed to furthering our mission of promoting and protecting the civil rights of the Latino community in the United States.

“Anyone aware of current events understands the dire need for lawyers committed to defending the civil rights of the Latino community,” said Thomas A. Saenz, MALDEF president and general counsel. “MALDEF is proud to continue our work to foster the development of the next generation of civil rights lawyers.”

For years, MALDEF has awarded five to 15 deserving students scholarships ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 each. MALDEF’s Law School Scholarship application is open to any student enrolled at an accredited U.S. law school. The recipients are selected with the assistance of a national committee of leading attorneys.

The scholarship committee assesses applicants based on personal background and financial need; academic and extracurricular achievement; demonstrated commitment to serving the Latino community, shown through academic, extracurricular, or professional record of service; and future plans to advance the rights of Latinos.

This year’s recipients are studying at schools including Arizona State University Sandra O’Connor College of Law; CUNY School of Law; Loyola University Chicago School of Law; Michigan State University College of Law; Texas Tech School of Law; UC Berkeley School of Law; UC Davis School of Law; UCLA School of Law, and the University of Illinois, Chicago School of Law.

All of the recipients have a passion for protecting the civil rights of Latinos. Several of the winners are the children of immigrants or immigrants themselves, including a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). All of the scholarship winners have spent time working for organizations that promote the rights of Latinos and other communities.

Applications for MALDEF’s 2024-2025 MALDEF Law School Scholarship Program are now available for download at our website here. The deadline to apply is April 30, 2025. 

A complete List of MALDEF’s 2023-2024 Law School Scholarship recipients and brief bios of each can be found Here.