Third-year Miami Law student Luciana Jhon Urrunaga understands the importance of helping others and has always had an eye toward social justice. Growing up, the Miami Public Interest Scholar, born in Lima, Perú, and raised in Miami, served as the chief advocate for her parents, helping them navigate a new culture and language, communicating with landlords and IRS officers, and resolving other “adult problems” at a young age.
It was through these early childhood experiences that Jhon Urrunaga decided to attend law school. “Having been their advocate my whole life,” she said, “I chose to pursue a legal education to advocate for others and help them navigate systems that they may not understand, just like I did for my parents.”
Jhon Urrunaga graduated from FIU, where she majored in political science and minored in international relations. Before attending Miami Law, she worked as a legal assistant in Washington, D.C., for two years.
Clinical training and research at Miami Law
At Miami Law, Jhon Urrunaga has had the opportunity to be a research assistant for Professors Caroline Mala Corbin and Rebecca Sharpless, learning about First Amendment and immigration law issues. She has also served as a research assistant for the American Bar Association’s Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice, working on a project to eliminate the school-to-prison pipeline, a system in which children of disadvantaged backgrounds are funneled into the juvenile justice system and incarcerated.
However, Miami Law’s Innocence Clinic was particularly special for Jhon Urrunaga. “Being part of an innocence clinic had been a dream of mine for years,” she said, noting that an innocence clinic was a personal requirement when considering the law schools to which she would apply. “The work was incredibly impactful, and Professor Trocino taught me so much about post-conviction work and the injustices that still need to be corrected.”
She also serves as a Writing Dean's Fellow and is president of the Criminal Law Society.
After graduating in the spring, Jhon Urrunaga is unsure where her legal career will take her. Many areas of law interest her, including startup, antitrust, and trademark. She also shared her dream of opening a bakery after she retires from the legal field, as baking has always been a source of relaxation for her.
Regardless of the career path she chooses, Jhon Urrunaga wants to continue her pro bono work relating to criminal justice reform and privacy issues that she began at Miami Law. “Coming from an underserved community, I understand firsthand the importance of pro bono services, and I will definitely carry that with me wherever I go in my career,” she said.
Read more about Miami Law's Social Justice and Public Interest Program
