On Tuesday evening, California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB)’s Pre-Law Society hosted a discussion with Katherine Tello, a staff attorney for the United Farm Workers Foundation (UFWF). During the discussion, Tello spoke about her personal journey into law and the foundation where she currently works.
Born and raised in Kern County, Tello went on to attend the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). After completing four years at UCSC, she took a gap year and decided to travel. She noted that law school was always something she wanted to pursue, but chose to put the idea aside in hopes of finding another prospective career.
“I always knew that law school was what I wanted to do, but I was just leaving it on the back burner. I was like, ‘Oh, let me explore other things and see if there is anything else I like,’” said Tello.
After finishing her travels, she returned to Kern County and received an internship with the Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative (CVIIC) Fellowship Program. During her internship, she covered eleven rural counties, from Kings County to Kern County, and advertised pop-up immigration workshops in an effort to close the gap created by limited access to legal representation.
Tello spent a year and a half convincing attorneys to offer pro bono services before deciding to study abroad in Spain to earn her master’s degree in International Relations. During the pandemic, Tello decided to return to Kern County and continue her studies from across the ocean.
Tello originally hoped to go into the renewable energy field. However, because she was adamant about staying in Bakersfield, she decided to attend law school.
“Ideally, my goal was always to come back and practice in Bakersfield. And renewable energy, diversifying energy grids, it’s not a big industry here in the Central Valley. So I was like, I need to think realistically. So then I applied to law school,” said Tello.
After taking the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) three times to achieve her preferred score, Tello went on to attend California Western School of Law in San Diego. Although she received acceptance letters from several other law schools, she chose California Western due to the financial aid package it offered.
“I did get into so many other schools, but no one was really giving me enough money, and I come from a low-income background. So my parents, realistically speaking, cannot pay for law school,” said Tello.
Tello opened the discussion to a Q and A session, during which a student asked whether she ever experienced imposter syndrome during her journey into law.
“I think I was one of only two Latinas in my class. I feel like most people came from parents who went to law school. So you’re competing with people who have these conversations on a daily basis and were raised with a certain legal terminology already embedded in them. I felt like I did have to work a little harder than most because of that, so I did have imposter syndrome, and there are still times I do, but I think that’s okay,” shared Tello.
Many students attended the discussion with questions about law school, including Rocio Guzman, a former CSUB student who graduated in December 2023 and is debating a career change.
“I did do an internship with public defenders, but there were so many people that did not look like me. And I was like, I can’t do this,” said Guzman. “I think I’ve talked to a lot of attorneys, a lot of judges. And because they don’t come from the same background, it’s harder to connect with them. But seeing her and hearing her story, seeing what she went through and wanting to give back to the community, that’s something that for sure motivates me,” continued Guzman.
