Juan Estrada always knew his life was meant to be lived beyond the boundaries of Rockdale where he grew up and attended high school.
His first big jump from Rockdale was for undergraduate school in San Antonio at the University of Texas campus there.
Then he made a bigger jump to New York City. Connections he made while a student at UTSA helped him land a paralegal job in the big city and still he had his sights set on a bigger goal. He headed to law school at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
His work there has paid off really big. Not only will he graduate with a law degree this year, but he was awarded the Fried Frank Civil Rights Fellowship.
“I feel honored to have been selected for this prestigious fellowship,” he said. “I am excited for the opportunity to effect social change in the Latinx community so early in my career.”
Estrada said he will be a litigation associate at Fried Frank, the law firm that selected him for the honor, in New York City where he now lives in Spanish Harlem.
When his two-year assignment is over there, he will go to work as an attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund which was founded in San Antonio. He said he would likely be assigned to the Los Angeles office of MALDEF which is now its headquarters.
“Today, the Latino population is one of the fastest-growing and youngest ethnic groups in the country, but we continue to be disproportionately disadvantaged and underrepresented,” he wrote on his application for the fellowship. “As a dreamer from rural Texas, I am the right choice for the Fried Frank Civil Rights Fellowship because my background, passion and experiences are representative of the goals and mission of the fellowship.”
While at Rutgers Law School in Newark, he has served as co-president of the Association for Latin American Law Students, a member of the Moot Court Board and the Business Law Journal, and worked in the Community and Transactional Lawyering Clinic, according to a news release from Rutgers University.
In his high school days at Rockdale where he graduated in 2010, he was remembered fondly as a great all-around student.
“He was always happy, and pleasant to have in class,” said Brent Hasselbach, who is currently the principal at Rockdale High School and taught government and economics to Estrada. “We had a great time in class.
“He was active all over campus,” said Hasselbach, who also coached Estrada in football and track.
“He was interested in learning. I knew he was going places,” Hasselbach said. “He was a great student for me.”
Estrada, too, has fond memories of his days in Rockdale.
“Growing up in Rockdale, I was fortunate to be surrounded by good decent people that instilled in me the meaning of hard work and community. I carry those lessons with me every day,” he said. “I hope my story will inspire others to reach for their dreams, no matter how unattainable they may seem. If you believe in yourself and work hard, there is no telling what you can accomplish. Never forget where you come from and those who helped you along the way, because when you succeed, your entire community shares in that success.”
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