Hi everyone, I’m Jade Magaña, and I’m a 3L at UCLA. I was born and raised in the Los Angeles (L.A.) area and am interested in civil rights and criminal defense work. I graduated from UC Riverside in 2021 and worked as a paralegal for the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, in Washington, D.C. I helped investigate police departments and prison facilities that violated peoples’ rights to be free from excessive force, discriminatory policing, etc.

On campus, I am the Inter-org Chair for the Latinx Law Students Association, on the board of the Prison Accountability Project, am the Special Competitions Assistant for Moot Court, the Diversity Chair for UCLA’s Trial Team, and part of the Alliance of Formerly Incarcerated and System Impacted Students. For my 1L summer, I worked at Perkins Coie, LLP. In the fall, I externed for the California Attorney General’s Office, Civil Rights Enforcement Section. For my 2L summer, I was with the Alternate Public Defender’s Office in Los Angeles County.

I am so happy I chose UCLA for law school! I was looking for an environment that is just as collaborative as it is challenging. I was looking for a place where I fit in. Being in L.A. was important for my career and family. Law school has been difficult but immensely rewarding, and I would not change anything. I’m happy to talk about the ups and downs and hope you love UCLA as much as I do.

Contact Jade at studentambassador9@law.ucla.edu.

For questions related to the application or admissions, you can email admissions@law.ucla.edu.