Sydnie Reyes, ’19, saw her passion and life path come together at Pacific while pursuing an undergraduate degree in psychology with a minor in prelaw on Pacific’s Stockton campus and then at McGeorge School of Law.

Reyes chose McGeorge for its focus on public policy, legal program, and financial aid support. But ultimately, she wanted to make a difference in people’s lives, which led her to pursue a law degree at McGeorge.

While on the Sacramento campus, Reyes was president of the Latino Law Students Association and was instrumental in creating the groundbreaking Center for Inclusion and Diversity, a student-led “safe space” that promotes diversity, leads trainings and provides a community for minority and first-generation students. She worked as a certified law clerk with the Federal Defender of the Eastern District of California, as a certified legal intern with the Sacramento County Public Defender’s Office, and as an intern for a Supreme Court Justice in Guatemala. Her endeavors earned her a nomination for the 2019 National Jurist Law Student of the Year award from McGeorge.

– Article was originally published in the 2021 University of the Pacific Magazine.