Christina Velazquez is a second-year law student and Miami Public Interest Scholar at the University of Miami School of Law. She graduated summa cum laude from Florida International University in 2021 with dual B.A.s in Political Science and Women's & Gender Studies where she developed her passion for gender justice and survivor advocacy. After graduation, Christina moved to Chicago to join The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence as a Policy Associate advocating for increased protections for survivors and investments in services and conducting research into survivor experiences with different response systems. Her time at The Network inspired her to return to Miami to attend law school and expand access to civil legal services for gender-based violence survivors in her community.
During her 1L year, Christina served on the Legal Advocacy Alternative Break (LAAB) Planning Committee and as a Miami Law Ambassador. She received the HOPE Excellence in Legal Advocacy 1L Award for over 90 hours of pro bono work with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, the Colorado Office of the Child's Representative, ABA ProBAR, and the Florida Pro Bono Law School Challenge. During her 1L summer, Christina worked as a Law Clerk and Helliwell Legal Fellow with the Tenants' Rights Unit at Legal Services of Greater Miami. She also served as an application reviewer for The Network's Survivor Crisis Fund and Research Assistant for Professor Coker. As a 2L, she is a Fall Extern in the Family Law Unit at Dade Legal Aid and is a student leader with If/When/How Miami Law Chapter, ACLU-UM, and the Public Interest Leadership Board.
Christina is excited to join the ABA Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence and engage fellow law students in the Commission's impactful work.