Grace Silva

Grace Silva is a senior at the University of Texas at Austin majoring in Linguistics with a minor in English and a certificate in Core Texts and Ideas within the Liberal Arts Honors Program. Passionate about the intersection of advocacy, language, and public service, Grace is committed to utilizing research and advocacy to support equitable access to justice.

She gained hands-on experience through her work at the Travis County Juvenile Public Defender’s Office, where she supported attorneys, conducted legal research, and worked directly with clients and families navigating the juvenile justice system. Grace contributed to public health research as a linguistic annotator at Dell Medical School, analyzing medical records to better understand how social determinants of health, particularly housing stability, affect the Austin community.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Grace is active in community outreach on campus as a peer mentor in the Minority Women Pursuing Law organization and as company director of the Cauliflower Project, a nonprofit focused on expanding access to performance arts to students.

Grace plans to attend law school and pursue a career in public interest law, where she hopes to continue her advocacy work.