“What I love about this country is the diversity you find here. I say, ‘In Argentina you only have Argentineans’. Anywhere you go here, there are people from different communities and cultures. The school truly embraces that, you see such respect for it, and it’s a very important thing that I think sometimes people take for granted. In other places there is discrimination and ignorance, but here they are very comfortable with people from different backgrounds. I feel very happy, comfortable, and blessed to be here.”

—Maria “Maru” De Martini

Maria De Martini had always dreamt of studying law in the United States. So when she left her native Argentina and arrived in the U.S. at the age of 23, she came with a sense of purpose: “I feel like working toward a solution to problems in our world is my goal – like problems I’ve seen in my country.”

Though she received several competitive offers from other universities throughout the country, she wanted to find a place she could comfortably call home for three years. It turns out her decision was an easy one: the school’s service orientation and public interest program coupled with its appreciation for diversity is an ideal fit.

Maria accomplished much during her time in Argentina: completing her undergraduate studies in Social and Judicial Sciences from Universidad Nacional Litoral in Santa Fe in 2003, she then received her law degree in 2005 and attorney specialization in civil responsibility law in 2006. She began her professional career interning in family claims court for the District of Santa Fe, and after receiving her legal credentials began practicing at a large insurance firm where she was responsible for business negotiations, mergers and acquisitions, providing counsel to the Board of Directors, and offering legal analysis for business decisions. She had an attractive salary, a stable job, and promise of future advancement. Still, she wanted something more.

“I was looking to do something that really matters,” Maria said. “Many students come to law to make money – but I’ve already done that. I’ve had experience in the private sector, and while it’s rewarding and you get a nice paycheck, at the end of the day, that’s not the most rewarding thing. I need to be doing something I really care about.”

Her first exposure to that “something that mattered” came in 2007 while working as a cultural exchange program volunteer in the Pretrial Office in Arapahoe County, Colorado. As Maria interviewed Spanish speakers who were awaiting trial, or accompanied them to court and hearings, she saw firsthand the importance of proper legal representation. Many of the people she encountered were illegal immigrants – many from South America – and the sense that she was helping them has given her lasting gratification and an urge to continue contributing to people in need.

She compliments Valparaiso’s staff and programs with encouraging and facilitating numerous opportunities for the community involvement that she considers a valuable part of her educational experience. The school recently coordinated a  “Day of Caring” during which she and fellow students visited a women’s shelter to help with gardening work. The school also dedicates resources to fund students who serve at non-profit organizations, as many of them cannot afford to pay students for their work. Maria will take advantage of that opportunity this summer as a law clerk with the Council for American-Islamic Relations – the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights organization. While there she’ll be working under the supervision of an attorney on discrimination cases, conducting interviews of possible clients, doing legal research and writing, and assisting attorneys at every point in the judicial process. She hopes to use the skills she learns there to serve her ultimate goal: protecting the rights of children.

In addition to her days full of study, Maria is preparing for her future work in the public sector as an assistant in the legal research program, through her participation in the School of Law Honors Program, as a student member of both the Illinois and New York State Bar Associations, in her work as a staff writer for the law school newspaper, The Forum, and as part of the online volunteer team for the United Nations.