2021-2022 LALSA Board
Co-President: Alexa Salas, JD '23
Hometown: Phoenix, AZ Undergrad: BA Urban Studies, University of Pennsylvania '17 1L Summer Internship: Employment Unit, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia Alexa is involved with the Penn Law Immigrants Rights Project, the Student Advisory Board for Equity and Inclusion, and the Toll Public Interest Center. Prior to law school Alexa worked at Puentes de Salud, a local Latino immigrant-serving organization, where she co-founded Lanzando Líderes, an after school leadership development program for high school students in South Philadelphia. In her free time, Alexa enjoys working on her salsa/bachata dancing skills and wandering the city’s farmers markets looking for inspiration for her next meal. |
Co-President: Carolina Tirú Vega, JD '23
Hometown: Ponce, Puerto Rico Undergrad: BA Psychology with minors in International Studies and Philosophy, Boston College '20 1L Summer Internship: Judge Analisa Torres, Southern District of New York Carolina is a second-year J.D. student at Penn Law where she is involved with the Penn Law Immigrants Rights Project, the Transnational Legal Clinic, and the Morris Fellow Program. She is also an Associate Editor for the Law Review. Carolina loves to cook, stay active, and dance lots of salsa. |
Vice-President: Ruben Aguirre, JD '23
Hometown: El Paso, TX Undergrad: BA Political Science, University of Texas at El Paso '20; AA Interdisciplinary Studies, El Paso Community College '17 1L Summer Internship: Judge Amit Mehta, District of Columbia Ruben Aguirre is a 2L and was born in El Paso, Texas. At Penn Law, he is a Morris Fellow mentor and member of First Generation Professionals, Penn Law Boxing Club, the Texas Club, and Orientation Committee. He is also an Associate Editor for the Journal of Constitutional Law. Outside of law school, Ruben enjoys playing chess, eating Hot Cheetos, golfing, and listening to Drake. |
Secretary: Erica Alonso Lopez, JD '23, MA Bioethics '23
Hometown: Miami, FL Undergrad: BA Geology, Brown University '20 1L Summer Internship: Radian Group Erica is a dual degree student pursuing her J.D. at Penn Law and M.A. in Bioethics at the Perelman School of Medicine. She is an Associate Editor on Law Review and is involved in the Environmental Law Project and the Penn Law Real Estate Club. Erica is also a legal intern for Radian Group Inc., a mortgage insurance company based in Pennsylvania. |
Academic & Professionalism Chair: Quentin Fisher, PhD '19, JD '22
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Undergrad: BA Philosophy, The College of Wooster '13 1L Summer Internship: California Court of Appeals, Second Appellate District During his free time, Quentin likes to take pictures, cook, and swim, especially in the ocean. |
Pro Bono Chair: Richard DiNapoli, JD '22
Hometown: Voorhees, NJ Undergrad: BA History and Political Science with minors in Music and Latin American and Latinx Studies, University of Pennsylvania '19 Richard DiNapoli is a 3L at Penn Law hailing from South Jersey in location but Colombia and Italy in heritage. In addition to LALSA, Richard was the Managing Editor of The Regulatory Review, 2021–2022. After graduation, he plans to practice financial regulatory law in Washington, D.C. |
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Social Chair: Carolina Romero, JD '23
Hometown: Hackensack, NJ Undergrad: BA Political Science with a minor in Latinx Studies, Seton Hall University '19 1L Summer Internship: In-House, Cigna Carolina Romero is a 2L at Penn Law. She is heavily involved in LALSA, an associate editor for the Journal of Constitutional Law, and a member of the First Generation Professionals group. In her free time she enjoys cooking, working out, and trying out all of the city’s best happy hours. |
LLM Representative: Florencio Gramajo, LLM '21
Hometown: Quetzaltenango, Guatemala Florencio was born in Quetzaltenango, a city in Guatemala’s western highlands which is close to Mexico and the second largest city in the country. After high school he moved to Guatemala City to attend Francisco Marroquín University, and in 2016, after completing his six years of law school, Florencio joined the corporate/M&A department at Arias, a Central American law firm. His practice has focused on mergers, acquisitions, and corporate governance matters, and outside of practice Florencio is also an Assistant Professor at his former university. He loves Mexican, Lebanese, and Vietnamese food, and his favorite book is La Sombra del Viento by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. |
LLM Representative: Julio López Bonilla, LLM’ 22
Hometown: Guatemala, Guatemala Julio was born in Guatemala City and attended Universidad Rafael Landívar Law School. He clerked for the Guatemalan courthouse for six years and was part of two of the most representative Law Firms in Guatemala, as an associate for the Dispute Resolution and Tax & Customs teams. He also served as the Legal Director of the National Secretaryship of Science and Technology, and prior to Penn he completed the Innovation and Leadership in Government program at Georgetown University. In his free time, Julio enjoys a good steak and good music; some of his favorite books are Stieg Larsson’s trilogy. |
1L Representative: Alberto Cosio, JD '24
Hometown: Miami, FL Undergrad: BS Business, Babson College '20 Alberto’s family left Cuba in the 60’s, eventually settling down in Miami where he grew up. During college he studied abroad in Russia, India, and China and held internships in South Africa and Hong Kong. Before attending law school, Alberto worked at a law firm in Miami specializing in real estate and corporate law for Latin-American clients. In his free time Alberto likes to work out, golf, and listen to history podcasts. |
1L Representative: Antonio Lopez Jr., JD '24 Hometown: Halfmoon Bay, CA Undergrad: BA English Literature with a Minor in Political Science, Stanford '20 Antonio is a 1L in the JD program. At Penn, he is involved with the American Constitutional Society, the Federalist Society, the Penn Law Boxing Club, and the Financial Literacy Project (Ceiba Tax Preparation). He is also the 1L Representative for the Entertainment and Sports Law Society. In his free time, Antonio enjoys training for Fight Night with the Penn Law Boxing Club and listening to audiobooks. |
1L Representative: Elise Zappia, JD '24
Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA Undergrad: BA Political Science, UCLA '18 Elise is a member of LALSA and the Entertainment and Sports Law Society. As an undergrad at UCLA, she competed as a Division 1 Beach Volleyball Athlete and won the NCAA Division 1 Beach Volleyball Championship her senior year. After graduation, Elise played professionally before coming to Penn. In her free time she enjoys playing guitar, collecting vinyl records, and running. |
1L Representative: Isabella Hernandez, MBE '21, JD '24 Hometown: Queens, NY Undergrad: BA Philosophy and Anthropology, Skidmore College '18 Prior to law school, Izzy worked as a paralegal at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York City for two years. Following that experience, she received her Master's in Bioethics from Harvard Medical School. Izzy is committed to public interest work that focuses on the social determinants of health and the criminal legal system in the United States, and she will intern at the Legal Aid Society (Criminal Defense) in Queens, NY this summer. In her free time she likes to go on walks, hang out with friends, and do nothing on her couch for hours. |
1L Representative: Jay Mares, JD '24
Hometown: Miami, FL Undergrad: BA Finance, Florida International University '21 Jay worked at the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office in the Human Trafficking Division prior to Penn. Outside of law school, he loves to watch sports, specifically basketball, and go to the gym. |
1L Representative: Katia Cardoza, JD '24
Hometown: El Paso TX & Ciudad Juarez, MX Undergrad: BA International Relations, BS Radio-TV-Film, The University of Texas at Austin '17 Katia is a 1L at Penn Law, where she is involved with the Housing Rights Project and LALSA. Prior to law school, she worked at UnLocal and Al Otro Lado, where she helped provide immigration legal services to community members. When she is not doing law-related work, Katia loves running, preparing Mexican dishes, and exploring pastry shops. |
1L Representative: Maddie Bober, JD ‘24
Hometown: Hollywood, Florida Undergrad: BA Political Science & Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Emory University ‘20 At Penn Law, Maddie is involved with the Trans Empowerment and Advocacy Project and Law Students for a Democratic Society. During her 1L summer she will intern with the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic at Yale Law, and work with Professor Jasmine Harris as a Research Assistant. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies and reading theory. |
1L Representative: Marco A. Linares Cordero, JD '24
Hometown: Habana, Cuba Undergrad: BA Political Science and International Relations, Florida International University '20 Marco was born and raised in Cuba until he was thirteen years old, when his family was forced to flee the country due to political pressures. During undergrad Marco discovered an interest in Constitutional Law which enticed him to pursue a legal education. Prior to law school, he worked as a paralegal in a labor and employment firm and interned at the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, gaining insight into the workings of both the civil and criminal justice systems. Marco remains undecided as to what area of law he will practice in, but he's interested in Contracts and International Law, and during his 1L summer, Marco will intern with Blank Rome. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis, traveling, and reading anything he can get his hands on. |
1L Representative: Michael Asparrin, JD '24
Hometown: Ewing, NJ Undergrad: BA School of Public & International Affairs, Princeton University '19 Michael is a 1L and Toll Public Interest Scholar at Penn Law. He is involved with the Penn Law Immigrant Rights Project and First Generation Professionals. In his free time, he enjoys listening and dancing to Latin music, reading, and following New York sports. |
1L Representative: Nataniel Tsai, MBE '24, JD '24
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona Undergrad: BS Public Health, BA Political Science, University of Arizona '21 Nataniel is a dual degree student at Penn in the JD and Master's of Bioethics programs. He is involved with a pro bono project through the Health Law and Policy Program at the Medical Community Legal Partnership, and during his 1L summer he will intern in the Office of the Chief Counsel for Drug Enforcement Agency at the Department of Justice. In his free time, Nataniel enjoys watching sports, cooking and tasting new foods, and keeping up to date with politics. |