On March 26, Brigham Young University's Pre-Law Student Association hosted an Immigration Law Night on campus with practicing attorney Ysabel Lonazco.
The Salt Lake City-based attorney shared the challenges and miracles she experienced on her road to becoming an immigration lawyer. Students in attendance said they were inspired by Lonazco’s example.
“I struggled with my accent, struggled with my English, struggled talking to judges, to prosecutors and in my mind, I struggled to believe that I could be an attorney here in the U.S.,” Lonazco said.
Born and raised in Peru, after graduating high school in 2000, Lonazco had the opportunity to work as a paralegal in a law firm. There, she became acquainted with what lawyers do, and after some time, she decided she wanted to become an immigration lawyer in the United States.
Despite some who scoffed at her dreams, “deeming them a waste of (her) time,” coupled with the financial concerns of moving to the U.S. and learning to balance school, marriage and caring for her two small children, she continued forward.
She ended up at BYU Law School and met mentors who motivated her to keep pursuing her dreams. She credits her success to her mentors and is still appreciative for the impact they made on her life and educational career.
“I am so grateful to be here telling you my story, but I'm here because I have so many people that helped me get to where I am,” she said.
Lonazco completed and passed the bar exam in the state of Wisconsin, certifying her journey of hard work and achievement. She practiced in the state of Texas before working in Utah and eventually opening her own practice in Salt Lake City.
A Q&A session was held after Lonazco’s initial remarks. She answered questions regarding daily routine, work-life balance, skills that make a successful lawyer, navigating income and debt, and her feelings towards being an attorney who is a woman and a person of color.
“Don’t get intimidated if you are a woman, or woman of color,” she said.
Lonazco emphasized her love for what she does daily and expressed that lawyers who specialize in immigration cases are able to make a positive impact in the lives of individuals and families.
“There was a point in my career before this administration where people called me ‘la abogada de los casos imposibiles,' the attorney of the impossible cases,” she continued. “I think the most fulfilling part for me is that I get to change lives for generations.”
“If you want to make a difference, be an attorney,” Lonazco said.
Students expressed their appreciation for Lonazco’s time and willingness to share her story.
“Something that jumped out to me is the variety and the path to becoming an immigration lawyer,” Dalton Weston, a BYU student, said. “No matter how your process looks, there's an option to get there.”
Caleb Nelson, the president of the Pre-Law Student Association, said they strive to form and maintain good connections with working attorneys in order to help BYU students have more information and moments to network.
“It's usually just our network and the kind of people that we know. All of us are planning on going to law school, so a lot of us know attorneys or know people who know attorneys.” Nelson said.
After the event, students were invited to speak with Lonazco one-on-one. They expressed thanks and sought advice on questions about entering the field of law that were not addressed during the Q&A session.
The BYU Pre-Law Student Association will host its last event, April 8, which will feature guest speaker Gene Scherr, current BYU Law School adjunct faculty and former White House counsel member.