Jake Hernandez
1L; Admissions Ambassador
Hometown:
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Professional Interests:
Civil Rights; Business Law; International and Comparative Law; Public Interest
Student Organizations and Extracurricular Activities:
Latinx Law Student Association (LLSA), Public Interest Law Fund (PILF), Native American Law Students Association. I also play soccer and am an amateur photographer.
Housing:
On Campus
Pro Bono Projects:
Innocence OC, Saturday Academy of Law, and Street Law
Meet Jake:
As a first-generation law student, the path to law school was completely foreign to me. With the help of countless mentors, supportive friends, and my amazing family, I ended up at UCI Law.
Growing up, I was never a good student. Up until my senior year of high school, I rarely got any A’s and came close to repeating grades many times. As the disappointment of being accepted to no colleges came and went, I found myself studying art history in community college. With a clean slate and a new sense of agency, I transferred to the University of California, Berkeley and graduated with high honors. Although I planned to go to law school eventually, I decided to take at most 2 years off to get some life experience.
2 years off for life experienced quickly turned into 5 years of working in the nonprofit field. I loved every minute and met some of the most heroic people I’ve ever encountered. While I had a blast and learned so much, I knew that, to fulfill my potential, I needed to go to law school. Since I wanted to learn and practice in Orange County, UCI Law was the obvious choice.
Since my arrival in 2023, I have been stunned by the plethora of resources that are available to students. I am routinely shocked, yet empowered, by the work that first-year students are allowed to do in their pro bono projects. The small class size is also conducive to a tight-knit group, and I really do feel that these people sitting next to me in class will be my future esteemed colleagues. I’m truly stoked to see what else is in store.