Jaqueline Rodriguez is a senior Latina/Latino studies and political science major. During summer 2025, she interned with Justice Connect. Learn more about her experience in her blog post below.
Over the summer I worked with the organization Justice Connect which was founded by a UIUC alumni, Attorney Daissy Dominguez. It is a small law firm which aims to help undocumented immigrants through their legal needs. They strive to help the community and advocate for people who are in need of help. They create the best strategy for their client depending on their own case, they explore the different options and give them advice on which service would work best for them. In Justice Connect they do not take the shortcut, instead they analyze all aspects of the presented case to ensure the best service possible. Through the organization, I saw how they would help people navigate their legal journey through the various means that exist to gain legal status.
While the law firm works with a variety of types of cases I worked more closely with the cases regarding gaining status through the U Visa. I learn about the process of obtaining a U Visa and how that can lead to gaining permanent resident status and even lead up to earning citizenship in the United States. I worked with creating drafts for certifications, the first step in creating a case for a U Visa, and I learned of the requirements needed to apply for one. While I worked the most with U Visas, I worked with different case types as well. As an intern I would observe as Attorney Daissy Dominguez would handle cases ranging from U-Visas to asylum. I worked with various kinds of cases and helped organize them which taught me the order and process of these cases, it taught me the difference between them and their requirements, and it taught me all the work that goes into a singular case and how much they are able to help people seeking legal status.
At this moment I am unsure if I will be returning to this organization. I applied to intern there through a one-time scholarship which gave me the opportunity to work under this law firm. I would love to continue working for them in the future once I am done with undergrad, but I am open to anything that can happen in the future.
by Jaqueline Rodriguez