Baylor Law Celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Law Student Association (HALSA) hosts book drive to support Kendrick Elementary School in Waco
Members of Baylor Law's Hispanic Law Student Association Announce Book Drive to Support Kendrick Elementary in Waco. From L-R, Ashley Deatherage, Génesis Lozano, Alexa de la Vega, Tristan Crowder, and Joel Hernández
WACO
September 15th marked the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, a four-week cultural celebration that runs through October 15th. To celebrate, Baylor Law's Hispanic Law Student Association (HALSA) is hosting several events for the Baylor Law community to shed light on the contributions that the Hispanic and Latino cultures have brought to the United States.
HALSA Members Sell Tacos on Thursday, September 16th, 2021
During Hispanic Heritage Month, HALSA is holding a special book drive to benefit the students at Kendrick Elementary School in Waco, a predominantly Hispanic elementary school in the Waco ISD. HALSA members are asking the Baylor Law community for donations of multi-perspective books that stimulate young students' academic development and will be collecting books outside the student lounge from September 20th - 24th.
HALSA's plans for involvement with the young students at Kendrick go beyond a book drive, however. "As law students, we are uniquely positioned to inspire young, socioeconomically disadvantaged children to pursue education and higher learning," noted HALSA's current President, Alexa de la Vega. "We want to provide mentorship and be an example of what Hispanic learners can achieve," she added. Almost 79% of Kendrick's students identify as Hispanic, and more than 35% are English language learners.
Baylor Law's HALSA exists to promote the professional needs and goals of Hispanic law students, to instill in the Hispanic law student a greater awareness of commitment to the needs of the Hispanic-American community, and to foster and encourage the advancement of Hispanic students in the pursuit of law. Baylor Law students interested in joining HALSA or assisting with their Hispanic Heritage Month book drive can contact Alexa de la Vega at alexa_delavega1@baylor.edu.
Hundreds of Baylor Law students, faculty, and staff also participated in HALSA's "Taco Sale" and info-sharing events that were held on Thursday, September 16th, and Friday, September 17th.
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Established in 1857, Baylor University School of Law was one of the first law schools in Texas and one of the first west of the Mississippi River. Today, the school has more than 7,600 living alumni. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Baylor Law has a record of producing outstanding lawyers, many of whom decide upon a career in public service. The Law School boasts two governors, members or former members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, two former directors of the FBI, U.S. ambassadors, federal judges, justices of the Texas Supreme Court and members of the Texas Legislature, among its notable alumni. In its law specialties rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Baylor Law's trial advocacy program as one of the top 5 in the nation. Baylor Law is also ranked in the top 50 in the magazine's 2019 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools." The National Jurist ranks Baylor Law as one of the "Best School for Practical Training," and in the top 15 "Best Law School Facilities" in the country. The Business Insider places Baylor Law among the top 50 law schools in the nation. Baylor Law received the 2015 American Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Award, making it only the third law school in the nation to be honored with the award since the award's inception in 1984. Learn more at baylor.edu/law
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Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more at baylor.edu
