Las Raíces board members and founder share the group’s mission, resources available to pre-law students
By EVELYN SANCHEZ — features@theaggie.org
Pre-law can be incredibly daunting. Thousands of students spend months, if not years, studying for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), applying to law schools, practicing interviews and desperately hoping they’re good enough to make it in the competitive field.
However, law practice is incredibly varied and not limited to becoming a lawyer. Pursuing law can earn positions in consulting, human resources and other government sectors. Pre-law is also not only for political science majors — a common misconception often ingrained into university culture.
Students from a variety of backgrounds continue to be underrepresented in areas that desperately need them. Only about 14% of law students identify as Hispanic, with Black students making up only 8.3% and Asian students constituting 7.4%, according to a study done by Enjuris. Las Raíces exists to provide an avenue into the world of law for such students.
“The mission of the Las Raíces Pre-Law Student Association at the University of California, Davis is to provide a means for educating and creating accessibility into the field of law for Latinx students as well as students of other historically underrepresented marginalized communities,” Las Raíces’ website and mission statement reads.
Rogelio Villagrana, a UC Davis alum and the current director for UC Davis for Early Academic Outreach Program, alongside six other UC Davis undergraduate students founded the club during his second year, having graduated in 1996.
“There [already] was a pre-law society [at Davis], which was informational only,” Villagrana said. “I wanted something that was more active in the community. I wanted an organization that could be a conduit of resources to the community. It was created by that void that existed.”
Originally established as La Raza Pre-Law Student Association at UC Davis, the organization’s humble beginnings stemmed from a desire to establish a resource center for struggling Latinx students interested in pursuing law.
With no formerly dedicated pre-law organization, the name was chosen as an homage to the struggles of the Latinx community. In 2022, the name was changed to Las Raíces. The continued Spanish title serves as a tribute to their origins, while students continue to reflect on the importance of Latinx individuals within the law field.
“When we had that name, it was an homage to that struggle,” Graciela Álvarez, a fourth-year history major and the organization’s co-chair, said. “But Las Raíces — which means roots — we are setting the roots for law school. It’s ethnically centered and not exclusive.”
Álvarez discussed why she chose to join the pre-law organization and how it has benefitted her.
“I wanted to pursue teaching something law-related at first,” Álvarez said. “Then I saw [Las Raíces] at the Chicanx Center, Bienvenida, and I knew I wanted to go to law school. I knew that possibly during my time here, my mind would change. I met a community through the club.”
Similarly to Álvarez, Tatiana Vega, a fourth-year political science and sociology double major, did not start out with dreams of law school. Having joined her second year, Vega now serves as the sergeant at arms for the organization.
“I wasn’t interested in law,” Vega said. “I wanted to become an FBI agent until my second year. I started off as a political science major and added another major. After I did all that, I found out about the club.”
Sianna Vega, a fourth-year international relations major and the co-chair of Las Raíces, shared that there is sometimes a level of intimidation shared among her peers toward processes within higher education.
“A big majority of us Latinos don’t know the process in higher education,” Vega said. “We don’t know the steps we need to take to apply to these places. It can be very intimidating.”
Vega went on to discuss part of the organization’s goal with undergraduate students.
“There is a very stressful idea around law school,” Vega said. “But we are also trying to make undergrad less stressful too.”
The organization hosts resume workshops where students can streamline their resumes for law school applications, as well as scholarships twice every winter and spring quarter. The scholarships are open to any UC Davis students, including those not in the organization, and the next opportunity available opens on Monday, Jan. 13.
Las Raíces hosts multiple speaker and alumni panels, including the former Dean of the UC Davis School of Law, Kevin R. Johnson, and Zuma Alejandra Muñoz, a Latina first-generation practicing attorney, to speak on their experiences with law school and admissions. Las Raíces also has connections to the California Latino Capitol Association Foundation Fellowship Program, which hosts an annual 10-week summer fellowship, and often coordinates LSAT study groups, social events and fundraisers.
“I didn’t know there were programs for pre-law students like KHOP, or [the] King Hall Outreach Program,” Álvarez said. “It’s a one-day-a-week commitment program that helps you know what’s expected on the law school application. It helps keep important things in mind, discerns what makes a law school a good fit and informs you on financial aid. I met a bunch of people through that program that [do not] only go to Davis.”
Gerardo Medina, a fourth-year political science major and the organization’s historian, discussed the impact of the Las Raíces.
“We are here to continue the legacy of those before and after us,” Medina said. “At the end of the day, we are always here to help each other. We are all trying to succeed.”
Las Raíces also hosts field trips to law schools and courts to expand students’ perspectives. Though still in the works, they have been facilitating a field trip to meet up with the Latine Pre-Law Society (LPLS) at UC Berkeley. The goal is to organize panels between LPLS Berkeley, La Alianza at UC Berkeley Law and Latinx Law Students Associations at the UC Davis School of Law.
Villagrana continues to give back to the organization as a mentor and occasional speaker.
“It’s a very safe space for people to come together and contribute and share,” Villagrana said. “It’s important to have a group you can belong to when you run into difficult times as a student.”
To learn more about joining the organization, feel free to follow @lasraicesprelawucd on Instagram or visit their website at ucdlasraicesprelaw.com.
Written by: Evelyn Sanchez — features@theaggie.org
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article did not include accent marks in Las Raíces and Tatiana Vega’s name was originally written as Tatiana Varga. We have updated the story to better represent the communities and sources covered.
