Abrahamson & Uiterwyk Announces Their July 2021 Law School Scholarship To Promote Diversity Winner

Rya Nelson is the winner of our 2021 Law School Scholarship To Promote Diversity.

Winning Essay:

My name is Rya Nelson and I am a rising second year law student at the University of San Francisco. I desire to purse law to empower and bring justice to immigrant lives. As a result of growing up with a single mother, I spent a majority of time with my immigrant grandfather. My grandfather was an early retiree because he had sustained an injury at work which was further compounded by his polio. He has been grappling with this crippling disease, pain, and paralysis since he contracted polio at six months old. Seeing the unfair treatment he received due to his disability and observing unfair treatment of immigrant workers at a restaurant I worked at, a fire was lit inside me.

Despite this passion and personal connection, I entered college unsure of how exactly to translate this into a career. In my second year, I was approached by a professor to join the newly forming debate club on campus. I joined the club with curiosity and nervousness and I found a whole new appreciation for argumentation and public speaking. After conversing with my professor about my desire to work with immigrants, he connected me with an immigration attorney who was working on a pro bono affirmative gender-based asylum case. I had the opportunity to prepare research by reading and summarizing hundreds of pages of Honduran human rights law in addition to my 21-unit semester. I had never felt such a degree of passion for learning in all of my years in school. The attention to detail, the new vocabulary, and the feeling of wanting to provide justice for immigrants confirmed that law is the profession I wanted to pursue.

I also interned at the International Rescue Committee where I received hands on experience assisting refugees and asylees with petitions for naturalization, permanent residence, and work authorization. Through direct client contact, I aided diverse refugees and asylees in handling their highly time sensitive and personal documents and gained familiarity with the fast pace of the legal profession. This position allowed me to utilize my bilingual abilities in interpreting and translating documents while making clients feel safe and comfortable. This upcoming year at USF, I will serve as a co-president for the Latinx Law Students Association (LLSA) where I will act as a liaison between the administration and LLSA. This leadership experience will allow me to effectively problem solve, motivate others, and provide a safe space for Hispanic individuals whose families have immigrated or have personally immigrated to the United States.

Every immigrant’s story is unique. The sacrifices and struggles my grandfather and many immigrants have made when coming into the United States are felt through subsequent generations. I want to provide justice for individuals, acting as the advocate and educator for those who are fearful to stand up for their rights or do not know their rights. For these reasons, I know I will succeed in my future career ambitions by developing the necessary skills to serve effectively as an immigration attorney. This upcoming school year I will not be receiving any scholarships or additional funding through USF and a gracious scholarship like this could truly help with the financial burden I will have as I begin my next year.