Breaking the Mold

“I'm a firm believer that we need to take care, not just of our brains, but of our bodies,” said Valerie, who goes to the gym five to six times per week and follows a strict diet in order to build muscle and burn fat. Her passion for bodybuilding sprang from the months stuck at home during the 2020 lockdown when, unable to go to the gym, she turned to social media as an outlet. That’s when she stumbled on the world of female bodybuilding, and her relationship to the gym changed.

“I know that a lot of women want to go to the gym to be skinny, but for me I was fascinated by female bodybuilders’ bodies and how strong they looked,” she said. “From then on, I wanted to see what I would look like if I was the best version of myself.”

During that time, something else began to shift, too. Valerie began to imagine a life beyond California. Born in San Diego, and raised most of her life in Tijuana, Mexico, she was accustomed to living in richly diverse areas. But while working as a paralegal in her hometown and applying for law schools, living in the Midwest started to become a consideration in part for economic reasons. That’s when she found The University of Cincinnati College of Law.

“I realized I could have a better quality of life in the Midwest. And I liked that Cincy Law had a lot of clinics pertaining to criminal justice, as well as scholarship opportunities,” she said.  “When I saw that the bar passing rate was over 80%, I felt confident about my decision.”

Months later, she was thrilled to find out she got accepted and was awarded a scholarship. But in light of the divisive political climate and Ohio’s lack of racial diversity, her father had his own reservations.

“My dad was worried about me coming to a conservative state with a very small Hispanic population. He saw it as a risk,” she said. “But I didn’t see it that way…if anything the pandemic taught me that life is short.”

Valerie was also surprised to find that Cincy Law has a more diverse student body than she expected, in part due to the Master of Laws (LLM) program.

“As a JD, you also have classmates through the LLM program who are attorneys from other countries, and that adds to the diversity,” she said. “So that’s helpful.”

Yet, as a first-generation law student, coming from out of state with English as her second language, Valerie still had a lot of adjusting to do. Her first year, she jumped on opportunities to grow in her writing skills and accepted an externship with the First District Court of Appeals. Keeping up with the course load and staying on top of her grades took commitment and she often took to the gym to de-stress.

“It was a lot. My first semester was very challenging, I was starting from zero,” she said. “Going to the gym definitely helped my mental health.”

“These truck drivers had to purchase their own routes, they had to purchase their own uniform, they made a significant investment of their time and effort. But they were contractors so they weren’t protected as employees...They didn't know better,” she said. “It really raised a flag for me in terms of legal protections for minorities…My people are hardworking, but that does not mean they should be taken advantage of.”

Valerie was raised with a positive example of how employers treat their employees. Her father, who went from factory manager to Vice President while raising her in Tijuana, made it part of his mission to advocate for his employees, especially those with disabilities in the workplace. He insisted on all signage being in braille and installed ramps to ensure accessibility, something she said is not as common in Mexico. Valerie recalled seeing this dedication firsthand, as early as preschool when she would hang out at his work after school, content with a coloring book and a few pesos for the vending machine in her pocket.

“My dad was very hard working. As he was progressing in his career, he was also raising me as a single dad,” she said. “He has always looked out for employees, not because they are employees, but because there are people. He never let how far he has come allow him to treat people any differently.”

Valerie expressed hopes that she can one day be to her clients who her dad was to his employees, especially for other Hispanics.

“Race and economic inequality play a role in the outcome of your life here in the US,” she said. “I want to use my brains and everything I’m learning as a law student to help people. If I’m not helping people, then what am I doing with this knowledge?”

In the US, Hispanics/Latinx comprise a small fraction of JD degree candidates, accounting for only 9.4% of incoming JD matriculants in 2023, according to The Law School Admission Council (LSAC). This underrepresentation is even more pronounced when looking at the number of Latina lawyers in the country, a mere 1.3%. Valerie is well-aware of these statistics. While not ignoring the stark reality, she said she doesn't want her opportunities to be tied to her identity as a minority in the field either.

“When we [Hispanic law students] get interviewed with law firms, the interview will pivot to, ‘Have you considered immigration law?’” she explained. “I know that I can be useful there but… I think that my potential goes further than my ethnicity and language skills. I do want to help my community, but I don't think the solution is just to box us in.”

Navigating both representation as a Hispanic in the law field, and what it means to be a woman in bodybuilding are challenges that Valerie has come to know well. But she has learned to ignore what others might expect from her and stay committed to being the best version of herself.

Want to learn more about our students and their journey to (and through) law school? Read more stories on the "Meet Our Students" page. See yourself at Cincinnati Law!   

Author: Bachmeyer Press

Photographer: Asa Featherstone IV