March 20, 2013
Roberto Saldaña
- Year of graduation and concentration: Class of 2011; Psychology and Sociology
- First job/current job: I went to law school after graduating from the University of Michigan. Currently, I am a second year at Yale Law School. Last summer, I served as a legal intern for the Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund in its San Antonio, Texas office. This upcoming summer, I will be a Summer Associate at the Washington D.C. office of the law firm, Paul, Weiss.
Advice to current U-M students
Think critically about how you will contribute to the direction of the Nation and of the world. The experiences you have while in school will allow you to offer a variety of perspectives and insights in the journey of addressing the problems that face our communities. As students, you are in a position to actively seek those experiences.
At the University of Michigan, there are numerous opportunities that will foster the personal growth and knowledge necessary for imagining new paths for our communities. A few opportunities with which I was involved are: the Program on Intergroup Relations, Growing Allies, the Speakers Bureau, and the Michigan Community Scholars Program. I encourage students to avail themselves of these opportunities.
Biggest challenge you have faced in the workforce
The biggest challenge I have faced as a law student is that the law school curriculum generally does not deal with addressing the needs and concerns of everyday people or marginalized groups. I have addressed this challenge by becoming involved with a legal clinic at Yale Law that is focused on worker and immigrant rights. I am also involved with student-led efforts to expand the Yale Law curriculum to include Critical Race Theory.
Since leaving Ann Arbor, you've stayed connected with student groups and have supported student-led curriculum and dialogue around social justice issues: how have you stayed connected to students and why do you think that is important? Also, what advice do you have for students around these issues around what you have learned after leaving U of M?
I have stayed connected to campus via the rXs program, an intragroup dialogue for queer people of color. Drawing on my experiences as a facilitator for the Program on Intergroup Relations and for the Spectrum Center’s Coming Out Group, I have offered my support in developing and expanding the curriculum for the program. Being involved with this program is important to me because of its focus on queer people of color. Oftentimes, the voices and concerns of queer of people of color have not been a part of the conversations in the mainstream LGBT and people of color communities. The program offers a safe space for queer people of color to engage with each other on questions of racial identity, sexual orientation, and community.
I encourage students to become involved with their communities. For those of you who identify as queer people of color, I encourage you to become a part of the queer people of color community at the University as well as the broader LGBT and people of color communities, when possible. By becoming involved, you can influence the direction of those communities.
Contact
If you would like to contact Roberto with questions, he can be reached at [email protected]