Alejandra Ayotitla
Biography
Alejandra Ayotitla Cortez is originally from Hidalgo, Mexico. She emigrated to Lincoln, Nebraska with her family more than fifteen years ago. As a daughter of immigrants, Alejandra has always been inspired by her family’s courage, resilience, and work-ethic. This, along with working with the Latino community, led her to obtain a law degree and build a career centered on serving the Latino immigrant community of Nebraska.
As a first-generation student and DACA beneficiary, Alejandra graduated from the University of Nebraska—Lincoln with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2017. During her undergraduate career, Alejandra worked with the immigrant community in various capacities. As part of her psychology major, Alejandra worked with the departments of Child, Youth, and Family Studies in a project focused on supporting Latino families in Lincoln and Omaha to promote healthy eating habits in their children. She also coordinated the adult education program at El Centro de las Americas, where she provided classes to obtain the equivalent of a high school diploma, a GED, and classes to prepare for the U.S. citizenship test. For four years, Alejandra helped a significant number of people achieve their educational goals and finalize their dream of becoming U.S. citizens.
Alejandra was part of the group of DACA youth who testified before Nebraska state senators to advocate for driver’s and professional licenses. In addition to advocating for these local reforms, she repeatedly advocated for immigration reform at the national level. This implied sharing her story with Nebraska representatives in Congress and working with community leaders in campaigns that supported immigration reform.
After working as a community organizer at Nebraska Appleseed, Alejandra decided to pursue a law degree to serve her community as an attorney. Alejandra attended the University of Nebraska College of Law and graduated in May 2022. During her time at the College of Law, she used her legal education to serve the immigrant community. Alejandra worked as a law clerk at the Center for Legal Immigration Assistance (CLIA), Pesek Law, and other firms. She was also a volunteer at the naturalization clinics hosted by the College of Law. Additionally, Alejandra participated in the Immigration Clinic program at the College of Law, where she represented low-income clients. Together with Ross Pesek, founder of Pesek Law, Alejandra published an article in the College of Law’s Nebraska Law Bulletin. The article discusses the tri-partite relationship between an insurance company, an insurance defense counsel, and a policyholder. Alejandra plans to continue writing about civil justice for minority plaintiffs.
Now Alejandra works as a law clerk at Pesek Law as she prepares to obtain her law license to serve our clients as an attorney. As a future lawyer, she aspires to serve her community with the dedication, respect, and justice that they deserve.
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