Her Story
About Andrea
My journey into law began unexpectedly. I initially studied microbiology for three years with plans to become a pediatric neurologist, but I realized my path was more about helping people through the legal system rather than through medicine. I've always had a passion for pursuing justice, which led me to change my undergraduate path to political sciences before earning my JD from Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law in Ponce, Puerto Rico. During my final year of law school, instead of immediately taking the Puerto Rico bar exam, I applied to Boston University School of Law's specialized two-year LLM program in banking and financial law. The first year focused on practicing legal English, which was crucial since my law school education in Puerto Rico was conducted entirely in Spanish. During my JD, I practiced civil law and federal law, specializing in family law, bankruptcy and mortgage law, which sparked my interest in the banking and finance world. I wanted to understand lender agreements, borrower relationships, and bankruptcy processes, particularly how people can restructure their debts through bankruptcy chapters. At Boston University, I've dedicated significant time to pro bono service, with emphasis on immigration and eviction cases. Recently, I achieved second place as finalist in the Commercial Arbitration Moot Court competition at American University in Washington, D.C., competing with national and international students from high-ranking law schools. This was a tremendous achievement for me because it demonstrated my confidence in conducting legal work in English, my second language. I'm finding my path between litigation, which I practiced in Puerto Rico, and the transactional focus of banking and finance. Commercial arbitration represents an exciting intersection of both fields and opens new doors for my future. As I prepare to graduate in May 2026, I'm actively interviewing for positions and preparing to take the Illinois bar exam, with the goal of becoming a banking and finance attorney in Chicago.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Andrea
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success first and foremost to the help of my family, especially my parents, who are the first ones to always believe in me and support my dreams. Second, it's because of my resilience and because I never accept no as the final answer. I prefer to always think that if someone closes a door for me, it's just one closed door, and probably in the future, even through a small window, I could enter. I always think that you have another option, another opportunity. For me, resilience and the support of family, and especially the support of friends that you meet during your path, is always really important as a woman to be successful, and also as a woman to influence other women to be successful in their dreams.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
First of all, I would say always try to find a mentor, another woman in your field, and it could also be a man in your field that you want to follow. Then, ask questions. Never stop asking questions, and never feel bad that you don't know something. Always ask questions to understand your field, and especially, always try to find more information and never give up. If this is your dream, it doesn't matter if one school, one university, or one job offer tells you no, we don't want you here. Continue searching, because there is always another door, another person, another opportunity forward after that rejection.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The three main values that are most important to me in both my work and personal life are trust, loyalty, and hard work. These values guide everything I do professionally and personally.
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