From the president
Sophia Dellota is a first-year undergraduate student at the University of Denver (DU), preparing for a legal career combatting immigration injustice. She is majoring in International Studies and minoring in Leadership Studies and Community Engagement. She is a member of DU’s Pioneer Leadership Program, a program which emphasizes leadership ignited by community, curiosity, courage, and action. She has complemented this work by joining the Excelling Leaders Institute, which focuses on developing leaders from diverse backgrounds who address social justice issues in their future careers. Ms. Dellota possesses a combination of academic rigor and committed to the public good that led to her selection as a Student Scholar at our Center for Community Engagement to advance Scholarship and Learning (CCESL). In that role, she serves the Valle Verde neighborhood, a historically marginalized community in Denver, by aiding in workforce development, re-greening initiatives, and helping to meet basic needs like food security. After completing her bachelor's degree, she plans to attend law school and pursue a legal career protecting immigrants’ rights and working toward a more human immigration system.
Personal Statement
As a descendant of immigrants and refugees, I want to spend my career uplifting the ones who make my life possible. I will make significant contributions to public problem-solving by getting a master's in human rights and going to law school to pursue immigration and human rights law. I’ll represent the brave people who come here seeking better for themselves and their families while working with an immigration rights nonprofit to influence policy. I believe that no human being is illegal, so I’ll implement policies to create more sanctuary cities and address the human rights abuses at detention centers and the southern border. Immigration is a complex issue, so I will focus on protecting the people who are already here. My ultimate goal is to reform the immigration system. As a Newman fellow, I will learn what it takes to establish and maintain sanctuary cities, using the so-called sanctuary city of Denver as a case study. I will take this knowledge into my future degree programs and future career, advocating for immigrants. A complementary approach to this is addressing the human rights violations that occur throughout the system. My master’s in human rights will let me do this work as an immigration and human rights attorney. I’m already preparing for this path by working with Colectivo de Paz, a mutual aid organization focused on empowering marginalized communities. I’m learning skills in legal advocacy for these communities today that I’ll use in my future career.