Lawyer in the Making

Sebastián Maldonado ’28 can trace his pre-law aspirations to strawberry fields in the California Central Valley. His grandfather worked in these fields as a temporary migrant laborer from Michoacán, Mexico. Witnessing people like his grandfather face injustices to this day, Maldonado strives to protect their legal rights. 

To that end, Maldonado is double majoring in Political Studies and Chicanx-Latinx Studies at Pitzer College. As his curriculum immerses him in real-world issues, Maldonado focuses on how to uplift Chicanx and Latinx communities and advocate for broader social change. This kind of sentiment holds true throughout Pitzer. 

“Pitzer professors and students possess a distinct sense of identity and purpose,” said Maldonado. “We’re all working toward something greater than ourselves. Our degree isn’t the end, but rather the means to our end. We want to change the world.” 
 

Personalized Career Guidance at Pitzer—and Beyond

Maldonado has participated in pre-law programs hosted by the University of Southern California (USC) Gould School of Law, Harvard Law School, and New York University (NYU) School of Law. However, these successes did not come without struggle. 

As a first-generation student, Maldonado is the first in his family to pursue a career in law. Applying to summer internships felt intimidating, and he faced many rejections in his first year. Maldonado’s advisor at Pitzer Career Services gave him these words of encouragement: all it takes is one.  

Come July, that one opportunity arrived. The USC Gould School of Law invited Maldonado to a three-week immersive residential law school experience. Maldonado networked with a variety of legal professionals across the Los Angeles metropolitan area and received personalized pre-law mentorship from current law students and faculty. 

“For the first time in my life, I found myself in a courtroom and it just felt so right,” said Maldonado. 

This summer, Maldonado was selected for the Training and Recruitment Initiative to Leading Law Schools (TRIALS), a collaboration between Harvard Law School, NYU School of Law, and the Advantage Testing Foundation. Maldonado credits Vera Jin, Pitzer’s pre-law advisor at Career Services, for preparing him. Maldonado did mock interviews with Jin before every interview round for TRIALS. 

“She inspired so much confidence,” said Maldonado. “She said: ‘They’re looking for people like you. This interview is an opportunity for them to meet you and realize they want you.’” 

The year-long TRIALS program kicks off with a five-week residential institute at Harvard Law School. It rigorously strengthens students’ Law School Admission Test (LSAT) performance and prepares them to apply to the nation’s leading law schools. Maldonado also met prominent leaders like the Dean of Harvard Law School, who encouraged him to believe in his potential. 

“My mentors at TRIALS told me I possess a rare combination of values,” said Maldonado. “What they would describe were synonyms for Pitzer’s core values. They called my resolve ‘duty.’ I call it ‘social responsibility.’ They called my double major a ‘distinct yet increasingly relevant intersection.’ I call it ‘interdisciplinary learning.’” 

Maldonado also spent this summer as a legal assistant intern at the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, a non-profit that provides legal and social services to working-class immigrants. The organization doesn’t typically hire undergraduate students but made an exception for Maldonado. The Pitzer Internship Fund made it possible for him to pursue this position. 

“I know I could’ve secured a paid opportunity, but it wouldn’t have aligned with my commitment to public service,” said Maldonado. “I couldn’t have given back to my community unless Pitzer empowered me to spend my summer doing such fulfilling work.” 

A Future of Changemaking 

After getting a J.D., Maldonado plans to become a labor attorney and found an immigrant workers’ legal clinic. He has made great strides toward this goal, thanks to Pitzer staff and faculty’s guidance. 

“They’ve given every resource that I’ve always lacked at the dinner table, every answer I couldn’t find in my own household,” said Maldonado. “They’ve given me the key to opening all the doors that have always been closed to those that came before me.” 

Maldonado is proud of his family’s blue-collar, Mexican immigrant heritage, which deeply influences his dreams and passions. He is using his education to expand the horizon—not only for himself but his community. 

“My time at Pitzer has broadened my imagination and crystalized my aspirations,” said Maldonado. “Every time I walk into class, I do it with power in my stride and pride in my eyes because I know this isn’t just for me. It’s for my late grandfather and so many others like him, who deserve to live freely, to live with human dignity, to live protected under the law.”