How a family crisis forged this first-gen law student's mission to serve

By Joshuel Calderon

As my mother drove me to basketball camp on a clear summer day, she inexplicably made a wrong turn onto oncoming traffic, almost getting into a fatal car accident with a semi-truck. Earlier in the year, my mother mentioned her vision was waning, but did not know why. She saw a neurologist who found a three-inch brain tumor sitting on my mother's optic nerve. Doctors said that she had a fifty percent chance of survival.

My mother had a successful surgery, but months of subsequent radiation treatments left her unable to work. As a single parent raising my little sister and I, my mother's income was the only source of support for the family. Because she could no longer work, our family now subsisted at the federal poverty line. Living in poverty, our family could not make a mistake. There was a helpless feeling of not having any sort of safety net in the event of our car breaking down or a serious medical emergency. At our lowest point we grappled with getting money from payday loans and check cashing institutions, even though we knew about their high interest rates and predatory practices.

I had empathy for my mother because she did not choose to have a brain tumor put her out of work. My mother was one of the hardest workers I knew. She was selfless, but physically could not work after the tumor and radiation treatments. Her inability to work fueled me to work even harder because I did not want to take my ability to work for granted. This combination of fear and empathy ignited my strong work ethic and gave me purpose to lift my family out of poverty.

While I attended NYU, I worked the night shift as an IT Lab Technician and held down two jobs each summer. I sent over half my paycheck every two weeks, which paid for several bills. The money I earned brought some stability during a tumultuous time for my mother's health. Her piece of mind reinforced my strong work ethic and study habits. When my shift at the IT Lab ended, I completed my school work at the 24-hour study lounge, often staying up until the early hours of the morning.

While I worked throughout college, I graduated from NYU one year early with magna cum laude honors. While I am proud of that accomplishment, I reminisce on my undergraduate experience with mixed emotions. During my three years at NYU, I saw my family cumulatively for six weeks. I missed birthdays, Thanksgiving dinners, and my nephew's birth because I needed to send money home to my mother. However, my hard work was worth the family time I missed, knowing my mother could rely on me as I once relied on her. Despite coming from poverty, my mother's relentless optimism and her emphasis on selflessness facilitated my aspirations of becoming an attorney. I'm the first in my family to attend law school and my father (who was not in the picture as he was a physically and emotionally abusive man) never finished high school in his home country of Nicaragua.

At UCLA Law, my first-generation background gave me opportunity to give back to my community in need. I was a volunteer at the Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project, where I helped applicants renew their I-765 work permits so they could continue working in the United States. At the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, I assisted tenants in small claims court for various claims against their landlords, ranging from Covid-19 rental debt relief, to security deposit retention and housing accommodations. During my time at LAFLA, I published a "How to Collect a Post-Judgment" guide for tenants who win a judgment against their landlords. Oftentimes, tenants who win a case against their landlord incorrectly believe the judge makes the defendant pay the plaintiff immediately. I made this free resource for thousands of people to use to rectify that preconceived notion,

These experiences as a first-generation student inspire future first generation and Latinx individuals to pursue a career in the legal field. According to the ABA, roughly 7% of lawyers in America are Latinx, and many of them are first-generation college and law school students. I was the treasurer of the Latinx Law Students Association at UCLA Law and I am currently a mentor and student advisor for three students in the Latinx Pre Law Association as well as the First Generation Law Students Association. While there is plenty of information online, I still notice that information surrounding interviewing, 1L advice, and professional development can often be difficult to navigate. I use my first generation background to impart my wisdom and help the future generation of Latinx and first generation lawyers struggle less with navigating the law school admissions process and law school itself.

While being a good lawyer is of paramount importance to impact tenants and other vulnerable populations in Southern California, for me it is also critical to invest in the future generations of lawyers. This is why I take my roles mentorship and student advising very seriously. To diversify the legal industry both racially and socioeconomically, we must bridge the gap of other first generation students who want to make impactful change in their communities through lawyering. For me, this is a crucial aspect of my outlook on how I will use my first generation background and legal education to impact the legal profession and the broader California community.

Joshuel is a recipient of the Lawyers' Mutual 2025 Essay Scholarship. First-generation California law students were asked to submit an essay between 750 and 1,000 words addressing the following topic: "How do you think being a first-generation college student has shaped your perspective/outlook, and how will that perspective contribute to the California community and the broader legal profession?"