"My philosophy in life is that if you
get education right, everything else
falls naturally into place…No one can
ever take it away from you and you
will be able to take risks."

Patricia Loera
Program Officer
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Patricia Loera was raised in Sunnyside, Washington, in the Yakima Valley. She comes from a family of migrant farm workers who immigrated to the United States from Mexico in the early 1960s. They followed the crops around the country and within Washington state, finally settling in the Yakima Valley. Patricia grew up in a family where college and law school were not topics discussed at the dinner table, and she had to create her own road map to law school. But with hard work and good fortune, Patricia made her way and has been blazing the trail for those coming behind her for the last 15 years. Patricia graduated cum laude from Central Washington University. In 1993, she earned her juris doctorate from the University of Washington. During the last year, Patricia has been a program officer for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle.

As a program officer for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, I manage the Foundation's investments to ensure that all students graduate "college-ready" in the state of Texas, focusing especially on the achievement of African-American and Hispanic students. The Foundation is especially focused on reducing the drop-out rates and increasing the college-bound rate of low-income and minority students. I accomplish this by leading the Foundation's strategy regarding its philanthropic giving of grants to schools, districts, and community-based organizations.

Did you have any interactions with the judicial system or with attorneys prior to deciding to go to law school?

I was in college when I met, for the first time, a lawyer who explained the process to become a lawyer. If I had not participated in one of the career fairs sponsored by my college, I probably would not have started planning so early in college to pursue a legal education.

Which people or what experiences influenced you to become a lawyer?

The biggest influence that led me to become a lawyer is frankly witnessing the injustices, the different treatment and different expectations of poor people and migrant farm workers. I thought that there had to be something that could be done to change these inequities. I realized that the law played an important part in helping people protect their own rights and leverage change. I guess that's why I was always very attracted to the law.

What were the obstacles that you had to overcome to become a lawyer?

I did not fully understand the process to become a licensed attorney. Going to college and becoming a lawyer were not topics discussed at our dinner table growing up. Once I was in college, I was fortunate that I had earned good grades when I began to apply to law schools. I knew many students who decided later in college that they wanted to go to law school, but they did not have a strong grade point average; they didn't realize how important it was to study for the LSAT; and they were not able to obtain strong letters of recommendations from important faculty — all of which prevented many of them from getting admitted into law school. I was fortunate because I did get to know my professors, I had good grades, and I knew it was very important to have a strong LSAT score. Not knowing the process was a huge obstacle, but I got through it because luck was on my side.

Were there any high points or low points in your legal education that you would like to share?

Towards the end of my third year in law school, a member of my family had some medical emergencies that we had to deal with and it was very difficult to focus on my schoolwork. The high point was that I really enjoyed law school. I made some really good friends in law school and we are good friends 15 years later.

What advice would you give to high school and college students considering a legal career?

Well, my first advice is once a student makes the decision to become a lawyer, he/she must believe that they can do it and begin planning what is necessary to achieve it. Planning and understanding the process and then staying focused is very important. And don't give up. Along the way there will be times that you will second guess yourself — you may not have the GPA you wanted or the LSAT score you hoped for, or you may not get into the top law school that you wanted to get into, but if you really want to be a lawyer and you really plan for it, you can overcome any obstacle.

Describe a challenge you faced as a young attorney and what you did to overcome it, and whether or not being a woman of color had any bearing on this challenge or its resolution?

My first job right out of law school was as an assistant attorney general in Yakima, Washington. I represented social workers in child abuse and neglect cases. When I went to court, sometimes my clients, who had not seen me before, mistook me for the interpreter. They were surprised when they found out that I was a lawyer.

How do you define diversity?

Specifically with respect to the legal profession, diversity to me means opening doors of opportunity to those who otherwise would not have access to careers in the legal profession.

Have you had a mentor, and if so how has he or she helped or inspired you?

I've been really fortunate because I've had many, many mentors at important stages of my life. Through high school my mentor was my oldest sister. She was the first person in our family of six children to graduate from high school. She went on to college and was the first person to really introduce the concept of college to our family. She blazed the trail for me.

If you could change one thing in the practice of law or the legal system what would it be?

One thing I would change would be to ensure more equitable access for good legal representation for low-income people. I do pro bono work and I see a number of people who don't have access to good lawyers, especially in civil proceedings.

What do you enjoy most about being an attorney and what do you enjoy least?

What I enjoy the most is the freedom. I have had three careers in the 12 years that I've been a licensed attorney. I've practiced law as an assistant attorney general; I went to work for MALDEF in Washington, DC, as an advocate for equal opportunity in education and then I became the legislative director for the National Association for Bilingual Education. Now, I work in the area of philanthropy, for the largest foundation in the world, whose mission is to improve the education of low-income minority students. This freedom to explore a variety of career options is wonderful. And one day if I decide I don't want an employer, I can hang out my own shingle. That's why education is so important because you'll always have options with a good education.

What do I like least? It's a struggle to find a balance between work and my personal life. This is not something that I do, this is who I am. It's very easy to put in 40-60 hours per week at work but when you do that, you compromise areas in your personal life. I love what I do, but at the same time it can be a struggle.

What advice would you offer to a young attorney from an underrepresented background just starting out in the legal profession?

Well I guess it's to always remember that a law degree provides lots of options and freedom. You're not stuck to that one job when you get out of law school. You can go into business, run for office, lobby, work in the area of public policy or in the world of philanthropy. There are just a lot of options. I also urge new attorneys to build networks of support within the county or state bar associations because we can learn from each other.