A group of prospective law students from the Central Washington region had the opportunity to envision themselves attending Seattle University School of Law during a campus visit as part of an innovative pipeline program.
Held for the third straight summer at Heritage University, located in the Yakima Valley of Washington state, the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) Prelaw Undergraduate Scholars (PLUS) Program seeks to make law school more accessible for people from low-income backgrounds and underrepresented communities, including Latinx and Indigenous students in Central Washington.
The program is a partnership between LSAC, which provides grant funding, Heritage, the Northwest Justice Project, and the state’s three law schools — Seattle U Law, the University of Washington School of Law, and Gonzaga University School of Law.
The program’s goal is to create a “pipeline” of lawyers from Central Washington (which includes the Yakima Valley) who will return to practice law after completing law school. This region is considered a “legal desert” due to its lack of practicing attorneys, especially those who are bilingual and can aid the immigrant population. It is for this reason that Seattle U Law is launching its Yakima Valley Hybrid Hub at Heritage University this fall. Other Hybrid Hubs are located in Tacoma and Alaska.
Program participant Melissa Guadarrama, who double-majored in Latin American/Caribbean Studies and law, societies, and justice, is emblematic of this vision. She decided to attend law school after “seeing the disparities in [her] own community.” Once she earns her law degree, she plans to work in her hometown of Wapato, near Yakima.
“I want to work with immigrant communities and underserved, low-income communities,” she said. “They're the communities that don't have access to justice, as the legal field is not as accessible to them.”
During their day at Seattle U Law, the cohort of 19 students took part in a criminal law class and toured Sullivan Hall.
“We're so happy that you're here and so proud of you,” said Dean Anthony E. Varona in a welcome to the students. “As the most diverse law school in the Pacific Northwest, this pipeline program is very important to us and near and dear to our collective institutional hearts.”
He also thanked current Seattle U Law students “for serving as mentors and role models” to the visitors.
Heritage student Josefa Zarco, who is currently working toward a master’s degree in multicultural literature, also plans to work with immigrants in the Yakima area. She recalls helping her own parents with their immigration process at age 15.
“I want to have the power to make a change,” she said.
The program participants have already had a busy start to their summer. Prior to the Sullivan Hall visit, their program experience included a mock law class and mock clinic, discussions with Washington Supreme Court justices, including Mary Yu (a Seattle U Law Distinguished Jurist in Residence), a visit to Yakima County Superior Court, and seminars on law school-related topics, such as the admissions process, resumé writing, and financial planning.
Several members of Seattle U Law’s faculty and staff have assisted in teaching these classes, including Varona, Professors Steve Bender, Paul Holland, and Zaida Rivera, Assistant Dean for the Center for Professional Development Matt Etter, and Assistant Dean for the Office of Admission Gerald Heppler, along with numerous students and alumni.
Participants who complete the program receive stipends to help offset some of the costs of attending law school.
Out of the 2023 cohort, two students chose to study law at Seattle U Law.
Heritage University is a small, private university in Toppenish that educates primarily Latinx and Native American students. Most Heritage students receive financial aid and are the first in their families to attend college.