24. Majoring in Grit – The Real Challenge for an Undocumented Student isn’t the Classwork – An interview with Attorney Jessica Viramontes from CARECEN

On the 24th episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen welcomes Jessica Viramontes. Jessica is a proud daughter of Mexican immigrant parents. She taught Ethnic Studies & Global Leadership for 12 years before becoming an Immigration attorney. She's traveled to several countries all over the world meeting with different community groups around the issues of food justice, land rights, migration/refugees, climate justice, mass incarceration, and resistance. She has organized with immigrant communities and helped create a cooperative of day laborers that would remove lawns to restore native plants and promote growing food in LA. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Chicana/o Studies and Humanities, from Loyola Marymount University, and her Master of Arts degree in Ethnic Studies from San Francisco State University. She has her juris doctor from Peoples College of Law.  Jessica is a Staff Attorney with CARECEN's College Legal Services Project providing free legal services to community college students, staff and faculty. She is an urban farmer, a soccer player and plays traditional son jarocho music.  

Jessica has always been interested in traveling which exposed her to a variety of social movements and immigrant struggles. She taught Chicano studies for 12 years and eventually became an attorney with CARECEN. CARECEN (Central American Resource Center Los Angeles) is the largest Central American immigrant rights organization in the country, that empowers Central Americans and all immigrants by defending human and civil rights, working for social and economic justice, and promoting cultural diversity. Jessica specifically assists low income undocumented students (a lot of them DACA recipients) navigate their journey through higher education by offering free legal services.

You can learn more about CARECEN and the services they offer via their website. If you are a student that wants to connect with their College Legal Services Project you can book an appointment here or find other higher education legal services here.  Follow CARECEN on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

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