During summer 2025, Latina/Latino studies students Jaqueline Rodriguez, Alexa Muñoz-Gomez, and Angelly Sorto Licona participated in rewarding summer internships that gave them valuable experience and skills that they can use in their careers. Read their blog posts about their internships linked below to learn more about their experiences.
Alexa Muñoz-Gomez at Centro de Informacion
Alexa Muñoz-Gomez is a sophomore majoring in Latina/Latino studies and political science with minors in Spanish and business administration. During summer 2025, she worked at Centro de Informacion as a legal intern. Centro de Informacion is a nonprofit organization that provides a wide range of bilingual services, such as immigration & naturalization assistance, information and applications for public benefits, emergency food distribution and pantry services, and parent training/youth & family programs to the Fox Valley communities of Kane County and other nearby counties of Mchenry, Cook, and DuPage. As a legal intern Muñoz-Gomez worked with the immigration team and helped fill out applications for naturalization, employment authorization, and Temporary Protected Status, and translated documents such as birth certificates and marriage licenses.
"I will use the skills and knowledge I have learned throughout my experience to continuing assisting, advancing, and advocating for my Latinx community, especially those affected by the current political state of the nation," she wrote. "I plan to use my experience in a collegiate setting, helping and being a resource for undocumented students and those who face inequitable barriers on campus."
Jaqueline Rodriguez at Justice Connect
Jaqueline Rodriguez is a senior Latina/Latino studies and political science major. During summer 2025, she interned with Justice Connect, a small law firm founded by U of I alumna attorney Daissy Dominguez, that helps undocumented immigrants with their legal needs. Rodriguez worked on cases for clients seeking a U Visa and shadowed Dominguez as she worked on cases for clients. Throughout her internship, she learned a lot about legal procedures and the work of a law firm specializing in immigration.
"I worked with various kinds of cases and helped organize them which taught me the order and process of these cases, the difference between them and their requirements, and all the work that goes into a singular case and how much they are able to help people seeking legal status," she wrote.
Angelly Sorto Licona at Hope Chicago
Angelly Sorto Licona is a senior majoring in Spanish with a double minor in business and Latina/Latino studies. During summer 2025 she interned with Hope Chicago, a non-profit organization that aims to reduce economic and social inequities in Chicago by providing debt-free higher education access to Chicago public school students and their adult family members. Sorto Licona is also a Hope Scholar and receives scholarship support from the organization. During her internship, she helped plan and execute the 2025 Goal Getters Conference, a key event which helps support scholars and their families. She gained skills in event coordination, billingual communication, data management, and professional writing, in addition to enhancing her abilities to communicate with diverse audiences, use tools like Excel and Salesforce, and organize complex logistics.
"Being a Hope Scholar myself inspired me to give back by helping an organization that has positively impacted my life," she wrote. "It was rewarding to see how our efforts came together to support a large community of students and families during the conference. This experience has strengthened my commitment to educational equity and community support."