December Graduate Alex Allam Options to Advocate for Immigrants | UC Hastings Law

UC Hastings university student Alex Allam emigrated from the Philippines at the age of 17, an encounter that encouraged him to go to legislation university and go after a job in immigration.

“My fascination in immigration regulation was principally born out of my experience as a total,” he said. “Upon the realization that virtually each factor of my existence below is dictated by guidelines and statutes, I felt like it was essential for me to discover them to guard my relatives and my fellow immigrants.”

He is just one of a handful of UC Hastings learners who will graduate from regulation college in December.

He mentioned he was drawn to Hastings due to the fact of its Lawful Training Option Method (LEOP), a program that will make law college accessible to persons arrive from deprived educational, economic, social, or bodily backgrounds. Allam reported he located the local community and guidance network he required at Hastings by means of LEOP.

“We shared assets and dreamt about how we will transform the planet jointly,” he reported. “LEOP essentially established the foundation for my overall legislation college working experience.”

Allam was not the initial in his family to go to college or university. His father is a distinguished tax law professor in the Philippines. On the other hand, as the very first in his family members to end college or university in the United States, he overcame distinctive challenges and barriers.

Even though at Hastings, Allam served as director of communications for Hastings’ College student for Immigrant Legal rights (HSIR), co-president of OUTlaw, and director of communications for Pilipinx American Regulation Culture (Friends). He reported, “Participating and becoming part of the leadership team in these organizations enabled me to come across community in just legislation college.”

Allam labored as an extern for the Nationwide Immigration Regulation Centre, giving research support for plan and influence litigation cases. He also labored as a Gender Fairness and LGBTQ Legal rights clerk for Authorized Aid at Get the job done, a non-profit that offers absolutely free regulation services to small-income people today, and was a fellow for non-financial gain Immigrants Climbing as section of the DreamSF Fellowship for the SF Place of work of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA).

When he started out law school, Allam was going through cure for Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, and juggled his legislation university lessons in amongst chemotherapy therapies and hospitalizations. He said, the UC Hastings Incapacity Useful resource Method gave him significantly essential help, “I would not have finished all of these accomplishments with no the enable of Lisa Noshay Pietro and Laura Andrews Navas from the Disability Source Application. I thank them for all of their aid and becoming these kinds of staunch advocates on my behalf,” he explained.

Allam’s accomplishment was acknowledged by way of several awards and scholarships, like the 2021 California Employment Legal professionals Association Employee Justice Fellowship, 2021 FBANC/BALIF Pamilya Scholarship Award, 2021 APABA-Silicon Valley/ BALIF Joint Scholarship Award, 2020-2021 UC Hastings Pupil Leadership Award, and the Summer season 2020 Legal Assist At Perform Certification of Recognition.

Allam mentioned he’s intrigued in pursuing immigration regulation and organization immigration legislation after graduation. Soon after setting up his occupation, his goal is to get the job done in plan for the Nationwide Immigration Regulation Centre, the place he can keep on to activate for alter, give again, and offer lawful support for some others.