University of Nevada, Reno student Jesus Rosales Sandoval recently won the 2020 ¡Andale! Scholarship from the Las Vegas Latino Bar Association. The scholarship offers a Law School Admission Test preparation course and law school application fees and reports. Sandoval welcomed the scholarship, which helps to lessen the financial burden of preparing and applying for law school after graduation this May. Sandoval is a criminal justice and philosophy major in the College of Liberal Arts and plans to pursue his dream of introducing one more Latino lawyer to the mix.

Sandoval intends to apply to Gonzaga University School of Law in Washington state and Willamette University College of Law in Oregon.

“I hope to inspire others like me to dream big, regardless of background, as there aren't a lot of Latino lawyers out there,” Sandoval said.

He also hopes to one day mentor Latino students and help them to pursue their law dreams.

As a first-generation Latino college student and a son of immigrant parents, Sandoval said he is pursuing a career in immigration law because of his desire to help people in need.

“I’ve seen the struggles personally,” Sandoval said. “I want to help my people and anybody who wants to create a better life for themselves without the stress and financial burden that comes with the process.”

In looking back to when Sandoval first started college, he said he felt like an imposter and that he shouldn’t be there given his background. He has followed the advice of his parents, “échale ganas” (give it your all) which has certainly helped him pave the way to success. In addition, Sandoval said his mentor Chris Westin, counselor with the University of Nevada, Reno’s TRiO Scholars program, has been very supportive of his academic career. Sandoval is also involved in a number of extracurricular activities including Nevada Student Ambassadors, Alpha Kappa Psi and the TRiO Scholars program. In addition, he said his liberal arts studies helped him to develop the necessary critical thinking skills to do well on the LSAT.

“I soon realized that even with my background, I can achieve the goals I set for myself just like everyone else,” Sandoval said.

In that sense, Sandoval doesn’t feel more marginalized than any other person. He believes that anyone who is patient, passionate and willing to do their best, anything is possible.