SC Connecticut News

Laura Guerra-Lopez, who was raised in Miami, recalls asking her parents numerous questions about their homeland, Venezuela. As an only child with a naturally inquisitive mind, her parents encouraged her curiosity about the political and economic turmoil engulfing the once-democratic nation they had left shortly before her birth.

Reflecting on those times, Guerra-Lopez expresses gratitude for the candid yet age-appropriate manner in which her parents included her in these dinnertime discussions. "They would have real conversations," she said. "They would tell me about what was going on, but they introduced things in a way that was not so devastating that I turned away from it."

These interactions with her parents, along with their close-knit family life in a new country where they had no other relatives, sparked Guerra-Lopez's passion for social justice and service to the immigrant community.

At Yale University, Guerra-Lopez pursued a major in political science with a pre-law track as a member of Pierson College. She served as vice president for Club Venezuela and as a project leader for the Undergraduate Legal Aid Association's Special Juvenile Immigration Status Project (SJISP). During her senior year, she worked as a Dwight Hall Urban Fellow, providing immigrant legal services in collaboration with the New Haven Legal Aid Association.

Guerra-Lopez's commitment to service-oriented activities began long before she arrived at Yale as a transfer student in 2022. In sixth grade, as the crisis in Venezuela escalated, she engaged in what she terms "remote activism" alongside her parents, supporting those opposing the country's autocratic leaders.

In high school, she founded Corazon Contento (Happy Heart Foundation), a non-profit organization through which she carried out various humanitarian projects to assist struggling Venezuelans. These included holiday toy drives and PPE drives during the pandemic.

While still in high school, Guerra-Lopez established the First-Generation College Assistance Program, an initiative designed to empower first-generation students like herself on their journey towards higher education. As a student at The Honors College at Miami Dade College, she founded her own service club, the Pre-Law Society, which assisted students in finding internships and scholarships.

Guerra-Lopez had not initially planned to attend Miami Dade College. However, when the pandemic struck just before her high school graduation, the Honors College presented an appealing alternative. This decision turned out to be highly beneficial, providing her with the mentorship and structured program that prepared her well for her transition to Yale.

Her non-profit organization, Corazon Contento, earned her a Silver Knight Award nomination from the Miami Herald and inspired her thesis work at Yale. For this project, she studied NGOs and autocratic regimes in Venezuela and elsewhere. It also taught her the importance of persistence and pursuing activities that genuinely bring joy.

"I've learned that being true to myself is very important," Guerra-Lopez said. "It's kind of a cliché that we can accomplish anything if we dream big, but we can."

Guerra-Lopez attributes her remarkable drive to her parents and several teachers who have guided her along the way. "Seeing how my parents always kept going kept me going," she says. "My parents were always there to support me but never dragged me across the finish line. That helped me develop a love for school."

Law school is undoubtedly in Guerra-Lopez's future plans; however, she has yet to decide on a specialty. While she once dreamed of becoming a judge and retiring as a Supreme Court justice, her experience at Yale has exposed her to numerous other legal career options.

Guerra-Lopez plans to take a year off while she determines which path she will follow next. However, this does not mean she will be taking it easy; shortly after graduating, she will begin a summer internship with Defiende Venezuela, a Venezuela-based NGO that advocates for human rights and represents victims internationally.