From an undeclared undergrad at Fresno State to a successful San Joaquin College of Law student who's leading our LawSUIT student organization, 3L Cindy Arredondo has worked hard to put herself through law school. Learn more about your LawSUIT President, including how she navigated law school as a strong single mom, how she discovered her passion for helping others, and why it's so important to make sure your cup is full throughout law school.
Tell us about your journey to law school.
The journey to law school has been anything but a straight shot. Like many children of immigrant parents, I have been ascribed the responsibility to carry out our parent's hopes and dreams, that of achieving the American dream, as a means of honoring their sacrifices. My mother was a single parent of five children, one with a developmental disorder warranting round-the-clock care, immigrated from Mexico to provide a better future for us. My mother worked as a field laborer picking strawberry, broccoli, and lettuce in Salinas, California. Her struggle was the reason she stressed the importance of getting an education, so we would not have to continue the cycle of poverty. Our culture has always idolized becoming a doctor or a lawyer, so the seed was planted for me but having no one in my family to lead the way left me feeling unsure about whether I could do it.
After graduating from Madera South High School in Madera, CA, I followed in my older sister Joanna's footsteps and attended California State University, Fresno. Arriving on campus for my first semester was such a huge accomplishment on its own as many family members and family friends assumed that my sisters and I would not amount to much, get pregnant and probably continue in a cycle of poverty. The assumptions of what I could or could not amount to only fueled my desire to keep pushing forward in my efforts to honor my mother's sacrifices. Being admitted to Fresno State was half the battle. The other was figuring out what I wanted to focus on and carrying it out until the end.
The exposure to so many different classes and subjects was overwhelming in both a positive and a negative way. Naturally curious, I wanted to learn everything I could in detail. Still, the overload of information and my indecisive nature also made a junior, soon-to-be senior undeclared just a year before graduation. My lightbulb moment occurred when I enrolled in a Criminal Law class by Judge Timothy Kams. One day Judge Kams asked the class if we knew that we could tell an officer "no" if they pulled us over and asked to search our vehicle. I was mind blown. In our culture, we were taught to respect law enforcement to such a degree and with such a fear that we should always do as they say. That opened my eyes to how much I did not know and that I wanted to know. I mustered some courage and asked Judge Kams if I could sit in his courtroom, and he said yes. I sat through some preliminary hearings and was sold. Law school was the way I was going to learn the law. Soon after that, I sought all the law school opportunities I could find. I participated in law school pipeline programs such as the UC Davis Pre-Law Boot Camp and UCLA Law Fellows - Central Valley, which assisted me with the law school application process from the application itself to how to do my best on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), to which types of letters of recommendations I needed, and feedback on my personal statement.
At first, I wanted to apply to Ivy Leagues, but after having my son (during my junior year of college), this changed the direction of my plans. Despite the change in path, the destination remained the same. I was committed to attending and graduating from law school. San Joaquin College of Law provided me with the perfect combination of affordability, location, and the ability to give back to my community.
What's your experience been like at San Joaquin College of Law?
In many aspects, 1L panned out to be what a lot of students had warned us about. 1L was a steep learning curve full of educational, professional, and personal growth opportunities, a humbling experience. On top of the usual challenges, students experience academically, being a single mom on top of it all made for a challenge nothing could prepare me for.
I worried about making sure my son made it to and from school events and ensuring he sustained as little interruption in our quality time together as possible. To say this was a stressful time is an understatement. I often had meltdowns under the pressure of being pulled in so many directions, wanting to do well, not fail out, and be enough for everything and everyone. At this point, you start to question whether you are doing the right thing, whether you are making the right choice, and fighting the persistent existential life crisis before putting yourself together to face the world every day.
Under all this pressure, I decided to take up stress management therapy which really helped me control my life. At therapy, I learned that to feel in control, you have to be in control. I developed and implemented organization, time management, and stress management skills. Before law school, I never used a calendar, but in therapy, I quickly learned how this simple tool helped me figure out how to dedicate time to school, my son, myself, and a healthy balance. I have also learned a lot of stress management skills because I would have such severe anxiety during finals. So severe that I would have physical symptoms such as hand sweat, shaking, stomachaches, and blank outs. Therapy taught me breathing techniques like the 4-4-4 method to help physically calm the body. You inhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds and then exhale for four seconds. I do not shy away from talking about therapy because I feel like being open about it helps normalize getting the help we need, but we may shy away from it because of the stigma that comes with talking about mental health. We all suffer from things in our everyday lives that affect our mental health. It is essential to talk about these to figure out how to make our lives better and help ourselves and others feel a little less alone. Law school is a big commitment and life-changing experience that can have an impact on your mental health. We must figure out what tools can aid us in being successful and taking care of ourselves.
What advice do you have for maintaining a healthy work, school and life balance?
Self-care! I cannot stress enough how important it is to recharge our batteries with "me" time, family time, or whatever helps avoid burnout. That looks different for everybody. For me, that's my manicure/pedicure time, my workout time, my time to hang out with my sisters and my son. If you do not give yourself that time to balance school, you start losing the purpose of life. It does not make sense to work so hard and not do things that bring you joy.
How important is self-care as you're going through law school?
It's essential! Intentional self-care in law school will give you peace of mind, rest, and recovery. Law school takes so much brainpower, energy, sleep, and more from you. You need to pour it back into your cup when it is being depleted like this. If you do not, you may end up feeling burnt out. For me, going to the gym is a lifestyle now but also a form of self-care. It helps me cope with my anxiety, physically release stress, and take my mind off school for that moment. This positively translates into my law life because I feel better, have more patience, and think better. There is something to be said about taking a break and returning to study with greater clarity and focus. In short, self-care allows me to be my best self and pour into my own cup so that I can be my best self as a student, mom, sister, etc.
Tell us about LawSUIT and why you chose to join the student organization.
What first caught my attention about LawSUIT was that it was not just student-run, but the majority of members were women of color. It was very powerful to see women of color running this organization on campus when I started because they looked like me. The things these women were doing and the resources they provided to students were beneficial and necessary. I was inspired by what this student-led organization was doing. That is why I chose to join.
LawSUIT hosted academic workshops both for 1L's and upperclassmen. I recall one by Professor Purvis, who walked us through a business organization practice exam. LawSUIT also did a guest speaker series composed of local attorneys from the public and private sectors and judges from our community. I love that a lot of these professionals were people of color because, as a first-generation student going to law school, I did not see this often, and representation matters. I read somewhere that 2% of attorneys are Latino; therefore, it is very powerful to see someone who looks like you in the profession. It shows you that the road is paved for you, and you can do it too. Having these speakers also opened the door to mentorship opportunities.
To summarize, I loved what LawSUIT was doing, what it stood for, and it was run for students by students. I am excited to continue the organization's legacy. I have big shoes to fill as President, but I am excited for the resources we will provide for our students!
What do you hope to accomplish as the President of LawSUIT?
Of course, provide the same resources the organization has provided students in the last few years. Examples of some of the invaluable support offered by LawSUIT includes providing the following: access to outlines from top-scoring students, academic workshops, guest speakers from diverse career paths, monthly newsletter, financial assistance of scholarships, pairing 1L students with upperclassmen for mentorship, graduation cords, and social events for much needed mental breaks.
In addition, I want to create a space for students to feel comfortable to reach out, seek and access mentorship from other students and find any resources they may need to help them succeed. If you take LawSUIT out of the law school equation, the resources provided are not otherwise available through the school itself. Besides your mandatory meetings with your professors during your first year, you are on your own. It is because of student organizations like LawSUIT that students have opportunities to have workshops and network with their professors outside of the classroom. It is also how many students network and meet with practicing attorneys outside of the classroom. It is important that LawSUIT offers the resources it does. We want SJCL students to love their school and feel like they have a safe space to grow, learn without any judgment or limitation, and thrive with the necessary tools.
Why is it so important for students to see other people that look like them in positions of power?
It is one of those things where if you see it, you feel like it is possible for you to achieve that success. Growing up, a lot of characters on TV that were attorneys were not Hispanic or Latino (especially in the telenovelas I watched!). This internalized a subtle message that it was not a space for someone who looked like me to ever aspire to. As I got older, I realized people of all walks of life belong in these spaces. I hope that through our guest speaker series, seeing these attorneys and judges that look like us not only changes the narrative of this profession but also sets an example to other students that it is possible. We are worthy of these opportunities and these spaces.
How does it make you feel knowing you're leading the way for future students who see how much you accomplished in law school and for LawSUIT?
I am humbly proud. I know how much it has taken me to get here, and if my journey can help light the way for anyone, I am more than happy to carry the torch. I have devoted myself to the process in heart and soul. I have missed out on time with my son, had many family events, and had many sleepless nights. While it has been a lot of sacrifices, it has also been rewarding. It is hard to accurately describe that feeling of passing your first year, to walk out of a final knowing you gave it your all, and putting the end of a semester behind you. Quickly, a semester turns to two, one year follows another, and before you know it, you have successfully tackled countless classes and are a year away from graduation.
I recognize that I could not have done law school alone. It has indeed taken a village. My friends and family have been incredibly supportive. They have picked up my son at the parking lot, so I could attend class. They have packed me food, snacks, or coffee and constantly remind me that I am doing an amazing job. These things, albeit small, have had a huge impact on my ability to succeed. I am forever grateful to them.
With respect to LawSUIT, it is incredibly rewarding to know that sharing my experience and role in the organization helps other students. Life is about paying it forward. I am mirroring the same support I received in hopes of creating the same positive impact. I hope that other students who learn about my story, my hardships, and struggles can see these as positive things and think to themselves, "if this girl did this much, with so much on her plate, I can do it too."
Is there an area of law you're passionate about and did you discover it in law school or did you already know what type of law you wanted to practice?
Judge Kams' criminal law class at Fresno State really spoke to me and lit that fire under me. Since then, I have always been pulled towards criminal law. Ironically, I ended up in civil litigation. Upon graduation from Fresno State, I worked at an employment defense law firm for five years. I pretty much started and developed their Spanish area because I was the only fluent Latina at the office. Here, I transferred handbooks, severance agreements, employee interviews, discovery, and anything else that came through the doors. I was great at it, constantly receiving compliments from both employers and employees about my work. Despite being great at employment defense, I felt something was missing.
Being in law school opened its own doors because I was able to learn about other types of laws. I had the opportunity to work at the New American Legal Clinic (NALC) doing immigration law. I really enjoyed this because it was rewarding to help families obtain their visas due to the horrible situations they lived through. To know that they can peacefully live here now and try to rebuild their lives without fear brings such a level of satisfaction and joy. To know that your efforts played a role in helping them get to that point, you cannot put a price tag on that. It taught me that there are more rewards than just money in the legal profession, and helping others is definitely more rewarding for me than big-time law. With that in mind, I went on to work at the Tulare County Public Defender's Office in the summer of 2021. Here, I had the opportunity to do hands-on research and write about how one would recuse a judge for statements made that influenced the jury in a capital murder case. I also had the opportunity to draft a memorandum about what the threshold is in California to consider someone mentally disabled; thus, barring the death penalty as unconstitutional.
In short, my work and efforts are small pieces of a very big puzzle that impact the lives of others. While I do not know for sure which area of law I want to focus on upon passing the bar, what I do know is that I will let my curiosity and desire to help guide me in whatever area opportunities present themselves.
Why is networking and making connections in law school so important?
Networking is significant. Some would even say vital across many fields of practice and careers. Networking not only connects individuals to the "right" people but also provides the right information and opportunities. My first opportunities in networking within the field were in undergrad and in my employment defense job. I have since then prioritized networking throughout the years at San Joaquin College of Law via workshops, presentations, outreach events, and study groups, which are invaluable in law school. I do not think I have gotten through a class without a study group; that's how necessary they are to me.
Other students will find the need to network for both future employment and study group purposes. The message reads the same: networking is necessary. Aside from networking with fellow students, it is so important to reach out to your professors to get to know them and talk to them. Professors at SJCL are truly caring and want to help. I reached out and felt like I had really silly questions sometimes, but it turned out they were not so silly because the whole class was confused about what I asked too.
An example of great communication with your professors was what happened to me during my first year. My son's class ended early, and I was struggling with finding childcare. My law school BFF Brittany Hieng has always encouraged perfect attendance, this situation included. I reached out to Professor Masters to detail my dilemma. He was so incredibly understanding, kind, and empathetic. Professor Masters allowed my son to sit in class with me. I recall Professor Masters' introduction of the class with something to the effect of "we have a new law student." Something similar happened because of a foggy day schedule, and my son also attended a Civ Pro class. The takeaway here is that I had such a good relationship with my professors that they were understanding and wanted to help me when I reached out. It definitely gets easier to reach out to them with something as simple as a question in class to something going on in my personal life that spilled over into school, like childcare. My professors were so caring and understanding because they knew me. They knew I had no absences, always asked questions, and they were willing to help me. So, networking with professors for me is a big deal.
What's your experience been like at SJCL as a parent?
San Joaquin College of Law is tailored towards parents and working adults. Everyone understood that I had a child. They would often see me on campus studying with him, and when things came up, and I did not have a childcare option, he was allowed to sit in on the class and was really good. Our school really works with parents, and the professors are so nice and understanding. Multiple professors have told me that life happens, and they are very mindful of what is going on in our real lives outside of the classroom. In fact, they encouraged us to make time for ourselves. I remember during my first semester, professor George Vasquez was meeting with all of his students, so I went in to meet with him. We reviewed my paper and finished the meeting, but before I left, he asked me how my personal life was going and said I needed to make time for my family. He told me law school is important, and you have to give it your best, but it was not everything, and you could not forget about your loved ones. I remembered that so many times through school, and he really made an impact on me when he told me those things. I still remember it to this day.
What's something you learned as a law student that no one told you about or that you didn't expect to learn?
You question everything while in law school. You question every decision you make, whether your readings are right, whether you are reading the same thing as other students, whether you are going to be able to pass that final, and so much more. There is so much questioning of life that happens, but I also think there is a lot of growth that happens. You start finding a purpose and validating your efforts, worth, intelligence, capabilities, and ability to push yourself past your breaking points. You tell yourself there is no way you can memorize all these rules, but you do, and you succeed. I can never answer a yes or no question easily anymore because "it depends" on the details in the facts. I am going to ask more questions so I can get more information to make sure my answer is accurate.
What advice do you have for future applicants who are interested in going to law school?
If you have a calling to the law, make sure it is really there and that you are passionate about it. This calling and passion are what will come back to motivate you during your challenging times in law school. It will help you keep your eye on the "prize", the end goal. This process takes so much commitment and time. It is not something you want to be unsure about, especially because your first year is going to be tough. If you keep in mind why you started, what your end goal is, and what you are trying to achieve, it will help you through those difficult and really challenging moments when you feel tired or want to quit. Envisioning that purpose very clearly in your mind will help you overcome things you didn't think you were capable of.
Lastly, please do not be afraid to speak up and ask for help. That can mean having someone to talk to in therapy, that can be reaching out to your professors or even your classmates because we are all going through the same struggle collectively. In all honesty, no one will understand you and what you feel better than the people going through this law school process with you.
Want to learn more about San Joaquin College of Law, attend a virtual student forum or set up an appointment to discuss your law school future? Contact our Assistant Director of Admissions, Francisco "Javier" Rosas, or our Director of Admissions, Diane Steel, today!