Lewis & Clark Law School 2020 MBA Bar Fellows
Juan Pablo San Emeterio
Juan Pablo is a 22 yo Hispanic male living in Portland. His undergraduate degree is in Political Science and his area of interest is in Environmental Law. He talks about an encounter with a bison in a national park which reaffirmed his passion for the natural world, an animal that was pushed to the brink of extinction nearly two centuries ago because of policies and practices in the US. He wants to practice law in Oregon as he is drawn to the diverse natural beauty of the state and hopes to make a difference for environmental protection here.
Mark Cebert
Mark Cebert is a 23 year old African American male from Huntsville Alabama and currently living in Portland. Mark is interested in Public Interest law. His parents immigrated from Haiti and Jamaica. He talks about witnessing hate and ignorance after the election of Barak Obama from teachers and students who were not exposed to diversity and was exposed to racism as they allowed stereotypes to control the way they related to him. After moving to California for college he found others that knew what it was like to be the outsider and became the president of his school’s Black Student Union which worked very hard to create paths to understanding by facilitating discussions that helped students learn to think outside of societal stereotypes. He wants to be an advocate for the defenseless and believes the world can be changed for good.
Michael Cebert
Michael is a 23 year old African American male living in Portland. His identical twin brother Mark also attends Lewis & Clark Law School. Michael is interested in Public Interest law. Like Mark, he grew up in Huntsville, Alabama in an immigrant family. Talks about not fitting in with peers at the large public school they attended. He says his Jamacian-American accent made him prone to being bullied and harassed. Because of his academic prowess, he was ridiculed as “acting white”. Both he and his brother were into music and the arts but hid it from classmates for fear it would set them apart. He moved to California to attend school and found that his new classmates didn’t care about his “pedigree” and embraced him with “authenticity and warmth”. He wants to use his talents to “pave the way for others”.
QueenIsha Rynders
Queen is a 34 year old African American woman originally from Portland and current living here now with her son. She is interested in International Law and hopes to earn a certificate in International Law from Lewis & Clark. From 2015 to 2018 she taught in Egypt, Colombia and the United Arab Emirates. She teaches English as a Second language for homeschoolers and special needs individuals among others. Queen is a veteran of the US Air Force from 12/2003 – 12/2009 as a Cryptologic Linguist and was awarded a Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.
University of Oregon School of Law 2020 MBA Bar Fellows
Manuella Tshala
Manuella graduated from the University of Oregon, where she majored in International Studies with a minor in Political Science and was a Wayne Morse Scholar. While pursuing her undergraduate studies, Manuella was a student services specialist in the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence and co-director of the Women of Color Coalition. She volunteers with the Lane County Citizen Review Board, reviewing local foster care cases each month. At the age of five, Manuella immigrated to Oregon from the Democratic Republic of the Congo with her parents and two brothers. She believes a law degree will enable her to make changes in her community and also in the lives her family members back in the Congo.
Jocabeth Zarate
Jocabeth is a native of Southern California and graduated cum laude from Southern Oregon University with a degree in History. Entering law school with the goal of one day working as a public defender, Joca believes her family’s immigrant background will drive her to succeed in the legal profession. She hopes that one day she can do her part by serving those who have been traditionally underrepresented, and to act as a visual representation of the growing presence of the Hispanic community in the legal profession.
Alexis Prado
Alexis is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, where he majored in English with a minor in philosophy. Reflecting on his own experience as a first-generation Mexican-American raised near the US-Mexico border, he hopes his law degree will offer even greater understanding of his bicultural identity and provide an additional tool to serve the greater good. “My background and future degree will become the two pillars that support my aspirations and fill me with lots of hope for what I can achieve in my life and the lives of others.” Since his graduation from UCLA, Alexis has been working as a file clerk at a law firm and has been active in several youth soccer organizations in the San Diego area.
Rebeca Lopez-Figueroa is a native Oregonian and graduated from Willamette University with a degree in sociology and a minor in politics and American ethnic studies. Among her activities various during her undergraduate career, she coordinated a book drive for first-generation students and served as an Office of Multicultural Affairs Mosaics Mentor. Rebeca’s held internships with the Department of Consumer and Business Services, Causa, and the Oregon State Treasury. As the daughter of two immigrants, Rebeca recalls helping them navigate the immigration process as a child. “There are everyday people who deserve legal guidance that reassures them, and this kind of guidance can make the legal system less intimidating than what it is. I am confident that I can be the person to give this guidance.”