$7,078 raised by 20 donors
47% complete
$15,000 Goal
We are the Arguello Dream Catchers, established 2014.
We need YOU!
Be a part of diversity and inclusion by helping Judge Arguello's
LAW SCHOOL...Yes We Can develop tomorrow's leaders.
The first law school pipeline program of its kind in CO – targeting high-achieving college freshmen from diverse backgrounds, Mentors and trains them for four years. It takes Mentoring to a new level!
In addition to helping prospective legal professionals meet the challenges their predecessors faced, the program helps students, identify the unique challenges they will face in the future; cultivate the skills and relationships they need to mitigate competitive disadvantages that can accompany those challenges; perform at their peak academic, professional, and leadership levels while they are still in college. Through exposure programs, LSYWC will demystify the law school application process and give Fellows access to the legal profession.
"I adore how open and authentic this space is to truly open up about our fears as people of color and future attorneys. I feel validated in my trepidations, and it's a spectacular reminder to stay present and take care of myself!
- Peace Kinsella, Class of 2024/Howard University
Stories that matter...
Ana Barraza/LSYWC Class of 2024 - was born and raised in Sonora, Mexico. After completing high school, she moved to Colorado to study at the University of Northern Colorado, majoring in Spanish, World Languages & Culture. As a migrant woman, Ana has faced numerous challenges, learning firsthand the obstacles accompanying the pursuit of success in a new country. She firmly believes that education is the foundation of success and is an inspiring role model for her younger siblings as a first-generation college graduate. Her deep motivation drives Ana’s resilience as a single mother. Her parents and two children encourage her to push forward. Ana continues to move forward through her dedication and perseverance, setting an empowering example for her family and community.
Juana Isabel Rocha/LSYWC Class of 2024 - was raised in rural East Texas with her four siblings. Growing up in a small town left her with big dreams but limited opportunities or outlets to explore them. She did not have representation of Latina women in the workforce or with higher education. The South was also not a safe place to be a queer woman of color. After graduating high school in 2012, she chose not to pursue college and joined the workforce as she struggled to understand her purpose. In 2018, fate brought her to CO, which led her back to education. She began her journey at Arapahoe Community College (ACC), earning an associate’s degree in communication studies. At ACC, she was a reporter for the Arapahoe Pinnacle, and later the Editor. She won a scholarship from the Society of Professional Journalists and Best Independent Online Student Publication in Region 6 and three other awards for the publication. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Communications and a minor in Journalism at Metropolitan State University of Denver while working full-time at a Latino-serving non-profit in Denver.
Edelawit Tadesse/LSYWC Class of 2024 - was born in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, and raised in Denver-Aurora. As the middle child in a family of six, she grew up profoundly valuing education and pursuing knowledge, viewing them as powerful tools for change and personal growth. Her experiences and strong interest in history, politics, and law ignited a passion for addressing injustice and unfairness. She graduated from Hinkley High School in 2022, taking various honor and college-level courses, having different community-based clubs under her belt, and working to serve her community to the best of her abilities with the resources available. Edelawit is in her third year at the University of Colorado-Boulder, pursuing a major in International Affairs with a minor in Sociology and a Peace, Conflict, and Security Studies certificate.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE.
LAW SCHOOL…Yes We Can seeks to change the reality for students from communities underrepresented in the legal profession by providing them with the same tools relied upon by students who have more resources at their disposal in their quest to attend law school. In our program’s 10 years, we have increased these students’ access to social capital by pairing rising college freshmen, undergraduates, and non-traditional students who want to become lawyers with law students, attorneys, and judge Mentors, who provide counseling to our students as they trail-blaze through college—often as first-generation college students.
Because Together...Yes WE Can!
ARGUELLO DREAM CATCHERS | info@LawSchoolYesWeCan.org
LAW SCHOOL…Yes We Can is the first law school pipeline law school program of its kind in Colorado! We target high-achieving college freshmen from diverse backgrounds by offering mentorships, professional training, resume writing, personal branding, study skills, opportunities for internships, and life-skill training. We take mentoring to a whole new level, identifying unique challenges, cultivating skills and relationships needed to mitigate competitive disadvantages. LAW SCHOOL…Yes We Can will demystify the law school application process and give fellows access to the legal profession.
MENTORING * COMMUNITY * SUPPORT AND OVERSIGHT ** EXPOSURE * SKILL BUILDING
We are the Arguello Dream Catchers!
A passionate group of lawyers, judges, volunteers and donors - led by founder and dreamer - USDC Judge Arguello. By sharing her passion to diversify the Colorado judicial system - our team is determined to encourage interaction with young people, sparking their interest in the legal profession.
Judge Arguello's dream materialized after a 2013 legal diversity conference after her law clerk noted that despite conferences, the diversity gauge was not moving much. Judge Arguello agreed that legal diversity required sustained effort, and the organization has been drilling its own legal diversity pipeline ever since with the help of donors like YOU!
Judge Arguello wrote that a common challenge that motivated the creation of LSYWC was the need to drown out the delegitimizing “no” that many bright minds hear when they dare to dream big dreams, such as “I want to be a lawyer.” It is a “no” that is directed at them merely because they do not fit the mold of what someone thinks a lawyer should be. LSYWC first met this “no” with the resounding “YES WE CAN!" of almost 200 hundred lawyers who came together to dedicate time and treasure to making the dream of law school a reality for our Fellows. Now, there are over 250 legal mentors, including 30+ Judges and Colorado Supreme Court Justices as mentors.
Organization name
LAW SCHOOL...Yes We Can
other names
LSYWC, LSSSP, Law School Si Se Puede
2014
Tax id (EIN)
47-3260929
Category
Education
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Address
950 S Cherry St Suite 508Denver County, CO, US