Lissette Castillo
"I believe the Justice Center understands the unique, valuable role community lawyering plays in movements for social justice. I am grateful for the opportunity this scholarship represents not just to develop new legal skills and knowledge but also to receive intentional mentorship. I am excited for this new chapter and cannot wait to take everything I learn at Texas Law back to community-led campaigns and efforts for immigrant justice."
Liz Castillo is a member of the Public Interest Law Association executive board, OUTLaw, and the Justice Center student advisory board. She also consults on a limited basis with immigration organizations working on child detention issues. The summer after her 1L year, she worked with the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild (NIPNLG), which is based in Washington, D.C.
Liz grew up in the Texas Rio Grande Valley and graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in Political Science in 2014. Immediately after graduating from college, she worked for several years as an immigration organizer and paralegal in the Chicago area. In 2018, she returned home to the Rio Grande Valley, where she worked on immigration news and most recently as an organizer for the Detention Watch Network.
Castillo is interested in pursuing immigration law to add capacity for the representation of low-income immigrants, but she also hopes to meet the need for more community attorneys capable of supporting broader community organizing efforts. After law school, she hopes to build on her commitment to immigrant justice by continuing to work alongside community and grassroots organizations.