Andrea Oltra Alonso’s interest in law began in the eighth grade, when she participated in her middle school’s mock trial team. She immediately enjoyed analyzing case materials, formulating arguments, and working on a team coached by a practicing attorney.
“I stayed involved with it throughout high school,” Oltra Alonso says. “One of my favorite memories was winning the state championship my senior year. After years of competing, it was really rewarding to end on that note and to see all of our hard work pay off.”
Yet she also felt driven to attend law school due to her family’s experience with the law. When she was eight years old, Oltra Alonso’s family immigrated to the United States from Spain. After years of paperwork and uncertainty with the immigration process, an attorney made a mistake on their green card application, which forced them to start the process again from the beginning.
“It was expensive, stressful, and incredibly frustrating,” Oltra Alonso recalls. “Going through that experience showed me how overwhelming the legal system can be for families, especially when so much is at stake. It made me want to pursue a career where I could help people navigate similar challenges and hopefully make the process a little less intimidating.”
So with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and criminology, Oltra Alonso enrolled at the S.J. Quinney College of Law. She appreciates how approachable and supportive the faculty are to students, and in particular notes Lecturer Professor Amos Guiora’s impact on her education.
“I completed a directed research project with Professor Guiora that challenged me in a lot of ways. It involved conducting interviews, reaching out to people I had never met before, and ultimately writing a paper that ended up being over 10,000 words. It was definitely one of the most time-consuming projects I’ve taken on, but I learned so much from it and became a much stronger researcher and writer in the process,” she says.
Oltra Alonso is also involved with the Pro Bono Initiative, especially with immigration-related work. One of the most rewarding experiences for her was participating in Citizenship Day (Sept. 17), helping individuals complete their naturalization applications. In fact, during her first year of law school, her family became U.S. citizens, 16 years after immigrating to the United States.
“As someone who went through the same process with my family, those experiences are especially impactful. Being able to help someone from a place of understanding, and potentially make a small difference in their story, is one of the most rewarding aspects of studying law,” Oltra Alonso says.
Moreover, she’s enjoyed participating in the many experiential learning opportunities available to students—all of which have helped her realize the breadth of the legal profession and discover more interests outside of the classroom.
“This summer, I’m working as a law clerk in the Civil Division of the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office. It’s exposed me to an entirely new side of legal practice and given me the opportunity to work on a variety of projects that directly affect the local community,” Oltra Alonso says. “I’ve really liked learning about areas of law I knew little about beforehand, ranging from land use and housing issues to contracts and local government matters.”
She is also working for the UN Working Group on discrimination against Indigenous women and girls. Her work largely comprises of research on international human rights treaties, special procedures, and other UN mechanisms to support the Working Group’s efforts.
“One of the coolest parts has been collaborating with people from different countries and backgrounds. I’ve attended meetings with members of the Working Group, and students from the University of Murcia in Spain and Yale,” Oltra Alonso says. “It’s been really interesting to see how people approach the same issues from different perspectives, and to be part of conversations with an international focus and impact.”
The UN Working Group opportunity came from participating in Utah Law’s International Law Clinic with Associate Professor and Experiential Learning Director Jacqueline Morrison, whom Oltra Alonso considers an incredible mentor.
“Professor Morrison consistently encourages students to engage with issues beyond the traditional classroom setting. What stands out most is how much she genuinely cares about her students and their growth,” Oltra Alonso says. “She creates opportunities for students to hear from speakers, work on meaningful projects, and gain practical experience, while also being incredibly supportive and invested in our success. I’ve learned a lot through working with her.”
Among her many accomplishments, Oltra Alonso is most proud of the growth she sees within herself from taking on new challenges and projects.
“I’ve had opportunities to take on projects and experiences that I never would have imagined when I started law school, and I’ve grown a lot because of them,” she says. “More than any one accomplishment, I’m proud of how much more confident I’ve become in taking on those challenges that initially felt intimidating. A lot of the opportunities that ended up being the most rewarding were also the ones that pushed me furthest outside of my comfort zone.”
Oltra Alonso will graduate with the class of 2027 and looks forward to beginning her career.
“I’m keeping an open mind about where my law degree will take me, but I hope to build a career that allows me to make a positive impact, whether that’s through public service, international work, immigration law, or some combination of those interests,” she says.