![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/12\/Jackie-Perez-300x225.jpg\")
She\u2019s not ashamed. In fact, she\u2019s very proud. Proud of her struggle, proud of her parents\u2019 sacrifices, and proud to be part of Mitchell Hamline\u2014a special place that put Jackie Perez \u201919 in a position to be successful.<\/p>\nShe\u2019s not ashamed. In fact, she\u2019s very proud. Proud of her struggle, proud of her parents\u2019 sacrifices, and proud to be part of Mitchell Hamline\u2014a special place that put Jackie Perez \u201919 in a position to be successful.<\/p>\n
\u201cI benefited significantly from financial aid when I was a student at Mitchell Hamline and am now in a position to give a little back,\u201d says Perez. \u201cI can increase the amount when I\u2019m able, but for now I just want to start. I want to open the door for another student. Today. I want to give back to the place that gave so much to me. Today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perez recently set up an annual gift to Mitchell Hamline, which will support the school\u2019s annual fund in the areas of greatest need to provide opportunities for students like her.<\/p>\n
Perez first moved from Dallas in 2011 to Minnesota to attend the College of St. Benedict on a scholarship. Both her parents were from Mexico and moved to Texas separately to make more money and create better lives for themselves and their families back home. There in Dallas, the two met, married, and had three children\u2014Perez being the oldest of three, the only girl, the first to attend college and law school, and the first in her family to become an attorney.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t have a lot of money growing up, but we had a beautiful childhood thanks to my hard-working parents. My dad always worked two jobs and would still apologize for not having enough money. My mother cleaned houses, and I would help her sometimes. I didn\u2019t even know we were poor growing up because almost everyone in my neighborhood looked like us, spoke Spanish, and got free lunch at school.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perez decided to leave Dallas because, like her parents, she wanted a better life and didn\u2019t want to be distracted by her peers and the environment. Her high school\u2014designed for college-aspiring, low-income, Latino students\u2014was able to pair her with St. Ben\u2019s in Minnesota.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so hard being away from my family, but it\u2019s the best decision I could\u2019ve made for my future, and my parents support me wholeheartedly.\u201d<\/p>\n
After graduating from St. Ben\u2019s, she decided to stay in Minnesota to attend Mitchell Hamline based on a recommendation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the best advice I could\u2019ve received and taken. As a student, Mitchell Hamline fit into my life so well. As an alum, Mitchell Hamline changed my life,\u201d she says. \u201cI had the best experiences here. I felt I could confide and rely on the people here. Some of my closest friends today are women who I met right here.\u201d<\/p>\n
During her time as a student at Mitchell Hamline, Perez worked at the Hennepin County Attorney\u2019s Office as a student attorney, as a law clerk for Webber Law Firm and the Immigration Law Center of Minnesota, and as a student worker for the alumni office. She participated in a J-Term immigration class in 2018 and 2019, where she traveled to immigration detention centers in Texas and helped detainees prepare for their credible fear interviews. These experiences would prepare her for the legal profession.<\/p>\n
From 2020 to 2025, Perez was an assistant county attorney for the Hennepin County Attorney\u2019s Office, starting in the child protection division before transferring to the criminal division in 2022. She also clerked for Judge Patrick C. Diamond in Minnesota\u2019s Second Judicial District. She currently serves as counsel at Robins Kaplan.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love being in court. I\u2019m honored to represent in court where there\u2019s not a lot of representation. And I take pride in pronouncing my name in Spanish in court. We always see people of color on the opposing side, so I want to ensure that Latinos are represented by my language,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
In addition to giving back to Mitchell Hamline financially, Perez also serves as a trustee and the Alumni Association president. She hopes to inspire people, especially those from low-income backgrounds, to become attorneys. She wants to assure them that they are enough and belong in these spaces.<\/p>\n
\u201cI became an attorney for my family, for any ancestors, and now for my baby nephew so he can one day say, \u2018My t\u00eda is an attorney.\u2019 The long-term goal is to become a judge, but that will take time. I am okay waiting because everything that is meant for me will come my way, and everything that still hasn\u2019t come is still on the way.\u201d<\/p>\n
To make a gift to Mitchell Hamline\u2019s annual fund, visit <\/em>https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/giving\/make-a-gift-online\/<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" She\u2019s not ashamed. In fact, she\u2019s very proud. Proud of her struggle, proud of her parents\u2019 sacrifices, and proud to be part of Mitchell Hamline\u2014a special place that put Jackie Perez \u201919 in a position to be successful. \u201cI benefited significantly from financial aid when I was a student at Mitchell Hamline and am now … <\/p>\n