The Latin American Law Student Association (LALSA) is a student group aimed to represent the richness of the Latino Culture to the VLS community, to act as an advocate and open forum for members of the community interested in legal and non-legal Latino issues.
CURRENT LATIN AMERICAN LAW STUDENT ASSOCIATION E-BOARD MEMBERS
Mariana Muñoz JD'21
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Mariana is a second-year law student and President of the VLS LALSA student group. Mariana was born and Raised in Guadalajara, Mexico. Mariana then immigrated to a small suburban town outside of Boston with her family. Prior to Vermont Law School, Mariana attended The University of Vermont, where she received a bachelor’s degree in political science from UVM in 2014; as well as a M.S.W, suma cum laude in 2018. While working to obtain her M.S.W., Mariana was awarded a VT LEND fellowship. As part of this fellowship, Mariana worked in partnership with the UVM College of Medicine and The University of Vermont Medical Center, where she took part of an interdisciplinary team. Mariana came to Vermont Law in order to focus on promoting services to the underrepresented communities in the legal system.
Marissa Pizaña JD'21
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Marissa Pizaña is a Texan (San Antonio) Native who decided to venture to Vermont after receiving her B.S. in environmental science. She will receive her J.D. and Masters in Environmental Law and Policy. She hopes to do something with Environmental Justice, Immigration, or International/Environmental human rights and issues. Marissa will be on the Executive Boards of LALSA, Women’s Law Society, Score, and an ambassador. Between transitioning from a southern life, Marissa enjoys exploring Vermont’s amazing landscape during the warm seasons as well as cozying up with Netflix during the winter.
Andrea Y. Salazar JD'21
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Andrea Y. Salazar is a dual-degree student on track for a J.D and Master of Environmental Law and Policy at VLS. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering with a concentration in Gender and Sexuality Studies. During her senior year, Andrea presented a piece entitled Berta Cáceres: Hondureña Revolucionaria at the NMSU Research and Art Symposium as a tribute to the life and work of the prominent feminist environmentalist. As a Gilman International scholar, Andrea studied engineering abroad in Seoul, South Korea for an academic year. She participated in a Korean laboratory internship program operating process controls for carbon capture experiments. Andrea was also a research assistant in the Brewer Biomass Thermochemical Processing lab at NMSU. Her research involved analyzing the viability of local invasive plant species biomass as a feedstock to create a sustainable crop soil additive which increases soil water retention. Andrea’s passion lies at the intersection of Public Policy, Environmental Engineering, and Social Justice. She hopes to return to her hometown, El Paso, Texas, one day.
Vanessa Yasmin Romero JD'21
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My name is Vanessa Yasmin Romero and I am a rising 2L/MELP and Treasurer of LALSA. My family is from El Salvador and I speak Spanish and Korean. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, near Koreatown. I attended CSUN and have a Biology B.A. After graduation, I decided I wanted field experience in a new job market. I worked as a compliance auditor for an environmental compliance company. As rewarding as this experience was, I found that I was increasingly interested in the effects that environmental laws have on underrepresented communities.
Erin Jacobsen JD'11
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Erin Jacobsen is Assistant Professor and Supervising Attorney at Vermont Law School’s South Royalton Legal Clinic (SRLC), where she is the lead project attorney and project coordinator of SRLC's Vermont Immigrant Assistance (VIA) Project. Prior to that, she was the Lead Staff Attorney at Vermont Immigration and Asylum Advocates in Burlington, Vermont. Through VIA, Erin and her students provide free legal representation to indigent immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. Erin also practices juvenile and family law, and staffs the Clinic’s Prison Project, in which she consults with incarcerated women about legal issues regarding their children. Erin is committed to public interest law and to doing work that promotes human dignity and human rights. She is licensed to practice law in the State of Vermont and in the United States District Court for the District of Vermont.
EXPERTISE: Immigration Law, Juvenile Law, Family Law, Human Rights, International Human Rights
Events:
Environmental Justice Caravan 2018
Helpful Additional links:
Hispanic National Bar Association: https://hnba.com
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