2020-2021 LALSA Board

Co-President: Erica Rodarte, JD '22

Hometown: El Paso, TX & Ciudad Juarez, Mex.

Undergrad: BA Philosophy and Political Science, University of Texas at El Paso '17

1L Summer Internship: Judge Wendy Beetlestone, Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Al Otro Lado

Erica is a 2L at Penn Law, where she is involved in the Penn Law Immigrants Rights Project, the Texas Law Club, and the Morris Fellow program. She is also an Associate Editor on Law Review and a Toll Public Interest Fellow. In her free time, Erica enjoys running, cooking her mom's Mexican recipes, and spending time with her dogs.

Co-President: Victoria Sanchez, MS '22, JD '22

Hometown: Austin, TX

Undergrad: BA Latin American Studies, Yale University '13

1L Summer Internship: Justice Karen L. Valihura, Delaware Supreme Court and Research Assistant for Professor Dorothy Roberts

Victoria is a dual degree student pursuing her JD and a MS in Nonprofit Leadership at the School of Social Policy & Practice. She is a Toll Public Interest Fellow, Co-President of the Democracy Law Project, and an Associate Editor for the Journal of Law and Social Change. She is also involved in various pro bono projects, Lambda, and First Generation Professionals. In her "free time" Victoria enjoys working out, ultimate frisbee, and trying to get nine hours of sleep each night.

Vice-President: Luis Pacheco Garcia, JD '22

Hometown: Coconut Creek, FL

Undergrad: BA Psychology and Political Science, Rice University '19

1L Summer Internship: Justice Vanessa D. Gilmore, Southern District of Texas

Luis Pacheco Garcia is a 2L and was  born in Colombia. At Penn Law, he is a member of the Penn Law Bowling league, a member of the Penn Boxing club, a Morris Fellow mentor, and an Associate Editor for the Journal of International Law. Outside of law school, Luis enjoys ping pong, Ultimate Frisbee, binging Netflix shows, and playing video games. His law school pro-tip is to get and maintain a hobby during law school!

 Secretary: Ashley Marcus, MA '19, JD '22

Hometown: Miami, FL

Undergrad: BA Communications, University of Pennsylvania '18

1L Summer Internship: Justice Valerie E. Caproni, Southern District of New York

At Penn Law Ashley is involved with If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice, the Penn Law Women's Association, the Jewish Law Students Association, and the Morris Fellow mentoring program. Prior to law school, she earned a Master's degree in Policy Studies and conducted child protections research at the University of Edinburgh. For fun, she enjoys hiking, hot yoga, petting other people's dogs, and baking the perfect chocolate chip cookie.

Treasurer: Anthony Hurtado, MBA '22, JD '22

Hometown: Las Vegas, NV

Undergrad: BA Accounting with a Spanish minor, McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University '13

Anthony is a dual-degree candidate studying at Penn Law and Wharton. As a result, this past summer he attended classes for the Carey JD/MBA program. Prior to law school, Anthony worked in business roles at tech start-ups in the US and Brazil. In his free time, Anthony enjoys planning his next trip, reading, and relaxing at home with his wife as they binge on Netflix.

Academic & Professionalism Chair: Francisco Javier Torres, JD '22

Hometown: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Undergrad: BA Government, University of Texas at Austin

1L Summer Internship: Chief Justice D. Brooks Smith, Third Circuit and Research Assistant for Biddle Law Library

 At Penn, Francisco Javier is involved in LALSA and the Penn Law Immigrant Rights Project. He is also an Associate Editor on the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. During his free time, he enjoys long-distance running, golfing, and going to the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Alumni Chair: Juan Olavarria, JD '22

Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela

Undergrad: BA Philosophy and Economics, Boston College '18

1L Summer Internship: Judge Martin Zilber, Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida and Research Assistant

Juan grew up in South Florida. In addition to LALSA, Juan is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Constitutional Law. Outside of law school, Juan enjoys watching movies, finding new restaurants, reading biographies, and watching Liverpool F.C.

Conference Chair: Karli Ramirez, JD '22

Hometown: Manville, NJ

Undergrad: BA Political Science with minors in Economics and Law, Politics and Philosophy, The College of New Jersey '19

1L Summer Internship: Blank Rome Philadelphia Diversity Scholar

At Penn Law, Karli is involved in First Generation Professionals, the Penn Law Women’s Association, the Post Acceptance Committee, and the Orientation Committee. Karli is also an Associate Editor for the Law Review. Outside of her legal studies, Karli loves running along the Schuylkill, playing guitar, and baking.

Mentoring & Admissions Chair: Ashlynn Dobbs, JD '22

Hometown: Miami, FL

Undergrad: BA Political Science and Spanish, University of Florida '19

1L Summer Internship: Bankruptcy Court, District of New Jersey and Research Assistant for the Legal Practice Skills course

In addition to LALSA, Ashlynn is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Business Law and volunteers with the Walk-In Legal Assistance clinic. In her free time, Ashlynn enjoys cooking vegan food, watching stand-up comedy, and reading in park!

Pro Bono Chair: Mary Loftus JD '22

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Undergrad: BA Major Violin Performance, Vanderbilt University '16

1L Summer Internship: Cozen O'Connor and Research Assistant for Professor Struve

Mary spent a few years as a freelance violinist and music teacher before starting law school. When she's not busy with schoolwork, Mary enjoys hiking, reading, and attempting to care for her many houseplants and rescue turtle, Sylvester.

Social Chair: Julia Malave, JD '22

Hometown: Windsor, CT

Undergrad: BA Political Science and Public Relations with a minor in Music Business, University of Miami '19

1L Summer Internship: Judge Carolyn H. Nichols, Pennsylvania Superior Court

Julia is involved in the Penn Law Intellectual Property Group and the Criminal Record Expungement Project. She is also a Morris Fellow mentor and an Associate Editor for both the Journal of Law and Innovation and the Journal of Business Law. For fun, Julia loves trying new restaurants for her food Instagram, attending concerts and music festivals, and watching Real Housewives.

1L Representative: Alexa Salas, JD '23

Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

Undergrad: BA Urban Studies, University of Pennsylvania '17

Alexa's family is from Mexico, but she has called Philadelphia home for the last eight years. Prior to law school, she spent three years working at a local organization called Puentes de Salud (Bridges of Health), a community-based nonprofit that serves the Latinx immigrant community in Philadelphia. Alexa is committed to a public interest legal career, and in her free time, you can find Alexa at a farmers market, the gym (s/o City Fitness!), or the 9th Street Italian/Mexican market.

1L Representative: Carolina Romero, JD '23

Hometown: Hackensack, NJ

Undergrad: BA Political Science with a minor in Latinx Studies, Seton Hall University '19

Carolina was born and raised in Hackensack, NJ, a small but very diverse city. Prior to law school, she spent a year working at a plaintiff's side law firm in New Jersey, and her legal interests include civil rights litigation, immigration reform, and reproductive justice. Carolina's hobbies include trying new restaurants, cooking, and working out.

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.

1L Representative: Carolina Tiru, JD '23

Hometown: Ponce, Puerto Rico

Undergrad: BA Psychology with minors in Philosophy & International Studies, Boston College '20

Carolina worked for all four years of undergrad as a teacher's assistant in a special education school for the severe epilepsy department. She also spent the last two years teaching ESL and first communion classes to Latinx immigrants on Sundays. She is interested in immigration and international law, and Carolina's favorite food is anything that comes from a Latin American country: arepas, empanadas, tamales, tostones, arequipe, etc.

LLM Representative: Alessandra Carolina Rossi Martins LLM ‘21

Hometown: Sao Paulo, Brazil

Alessandra Carolina Rossi Martins is a senior associate in the banking & financing and technology & innovation departments of Pinheiro Neto Advogados in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Prior to joining the LLM program, she worked as a foreign associate in the corporate department of Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian LLP’s New York office. She has represented clients in a wide range of corporate and regulatory matters and has played a critical role in some of the most significant corporate transactions in Latin America involving financial institutions and fintechs, as well as in the development of ground breaking regulatory frameworks for Brazilian regulatory agencies such as the Central Bank and the Brazilian SEC. She earned her Bachelor of Law at Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Sao Paulo - PUC/SP. In addition to Portuguese, Alessandra speaks English and French fluently and has intermediate Spanish proficiency. Alessandra loves dogs, books, and walking around to discover the city.

3L Representative: Eduarda Lague, JD '21

Hometown: Born in Brazil & grew up in Nashville, TN

Undergrad: BA Political Science and Hispanic Studies with minors in Portuguese & Latin American Studies, University of Tennessee '17

Eduarda was Co-President of LALSA during the 2019-2020 academic year, and is a Senior Editor on the Journal of International Law. Prior to law school, she worked on Capitol Hill, and she will practice in International / Corporate law after graduation. Eduarda likes running, traveling, and reading romantic comedies.