Arely Valencia

Being raised in an immigrant household in Los Angeles, Arely witnessed her parents and community struggle to obtain basic needs, financial stability, and be misrepresented in many aspects of the law. Through these experiences, she grew a great passion for law and advocacy. As a first-generation college student at UC Berkeley, Arely is studying Legal Studies, with a minor in Public Policy. Academically, she is interested in social justice, minority representation, and civil rights protection. In the future, she aspires to become an attorney and ultimately run for public office to create equitable policies for all. Arely has great experience supporting the minority community. This past school year, she was a JusticeCorps Member working at the Hayward Hall Of Justice Self-Help Center. Through this fellowship, Arely assisted self-represented litigants in regard to family law, housing, small claims issues, and/or guardianship matters. As a bilingual member, she assisted both English and Spanish-speaking litigants to understand their rights, one-on-one help, and completion of legal forms. Arely wishes to continue helping underrepresented communities and advocating for transformative legislation.