Adrianna Villela
Youth Justice Education Clinic
Adrianna came to law school with a passion to help young people navigate their educational journeys. As a clinical law student in YJEC, Adrianna learned about special education and disability rights law, and the various legal tools we can use to advocate for students and families caught in the school-prison nexus. By the end of her second year in YJEC, Adrianna represented six students, ranging from age 7 to 19, with various needs – more than any other YJEC student in several years.
Adrianna always showed up prepared and eager to support her clients as they navigate the education, delinquency, and regional center systems. She helped draft various types of complaints, including a due process complaint, compliance complaints, and suspension appeals. In one case, her complaint was critical in forcing the school district to act and move forward with woefully delayed assessments to fully understand the root causes of our client’s disability-related behavior. Aside from oral and written advocacy, Adrianna really excelled in the creative process of brainstorming with her team and finding the right legal tool to advance her clients’ stated interest. We cannot wait to see all that Adrianna will do in her bright future!