The González Pre-Law Academy (GPLA) is committed to support a cohort of selected undergraduate pre-law students for 1 year by focusing on exposure, preparation, and network building and will offer a variety of services and resources.
The cohort will accommodate up to 30 students at any given time. Services are outlined below.
Benefits
- Reimbursement for law school applications, LSAT and/or other associated fees
- Financial Support once enrolled in law school
- Financial Support while working a law/legal internship and/or job
- LSAT Prep: PowerScore books and workbooks
- LSAT Prep: 3 different LSAT Prep courses to choose from
- Partnership with UC Davis Campus Counsel to provide 2 fellowships for 2 GPLA students
Services
- Advising with a pre-law advisor
- Writing support/tutoring
- Law School Admission Test (LSAT) preparation
- Assistance with law school applications, including personal statements
- Financial support for law school applications
- Presentations by guest speakers, law students and professionals in the field of law
- Trips, such as visits to law offices and/or court sessions
- Partnership with the Internship and Career Center (ICC) to explore internship opportunities
- Workshops to strengthen interviewing skills and resume writing
- Post-graduation advising and support for law school applications and LSAT
Application Information
- Applications open during spring quarter every year.
- Priority consideration will be given to students who are part of the Educational Opportunity Program, have participated in the Special Transitional Enrichment Program, first-genearation, low-income and/or are part of historically underrepresented communities in law school.
- Apply for the Cohort Experience
- Students who apply in Spring 2024 are being considered to be a part of the GPLA cohort in the upcoming academic year, 2024-2025.
The González Pre-law Academy application for the 2024-25 cohort is now open! Please complete and submit your application by 11:59 pm June 7, 2024.
Cohort Eligibility
- Full-time undergraduate student enrolled at UC Davis
- A minimum of a 3.0 GPA
- Must be considered junior or senior status by the time GPLA begins
- Transfer and re-entry students are welcome to apply
Cohort Expectations and Requirements
- Commit to the entire duration of the program (1 year)
- Attend and participate in all required GPLA events
Pre-Law Advisors
Julissa De Haro (she/her/hers)
González Pre Law Academy Advisor for the Center of Educational Opportunity Program
Office of Educational Opportunity and Enrichment Services
- Julissa De Haro was born and raised in Long Beach, California, and is a proud daughter of Mexican immigrants. Her journey to law school would have been impossible without mentors who helped her along the way, so GPLA is an opportunity for Julissa to mentor others. Julissa believes that the legal profession still lacks representation from attorneys from low-income backgrounds, and she believes being a part of GPLA will help diverse law schools and the legal profession.
- Year: 2L at UC Davis King Hall
- Law Interests: Environmental law, policy, appellate advocacy
Rachel Kwak (she/her/hers)
González Pre Law Academy Advisor for the Center of Educational Opportunity Program
Office of Educational Opportunity and Enrichment Services
- Rachel Kwak is from Nashville, Tennessee and graduated from the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. Fueled by her own family’s immigration journeys, she pursued law school wanting to be an Immigration lawyer. As a low-income, Pell Grant recipient student all her life, she found that navigating law school applications and law school itself was unnecessarily inaccessible. GPLA helps to bridge this gap. For those reasons, she decided to become a Peer mentor at GPLA as a current law student at UC Davis School of Law.
- Year: 2L at UC Davis King Hall
- Law interests: Immigration Law, Workers’ Rights Law, Human Rights Law