Acosta Scholar Sarahi Flores draws on advocacy work to pursue public-interest legal career

This is 1L Sarahi Flores's headshot.

First-year law student Sarahi Flores, recipient of the 2026 Jeanette M. Acosta Scholarship, plans to become a social movement lawyer after law school.

 

  • 1L student Sarahi Flores has been awarded the Jeanette M. Acosta Scholarship, which honors a UC Law SF alumna who championed the rights of marginalized communities. 
  • Before law school, Flores worked as a paralegal supporting asylum seekers, a labor rights organizer, and an advocate connecting immigrants with legal resources. 
  • Flores plans to use her law degree to advance the rights of immigrants and workers by combining legal advocacy with grassroots organizing. 

 

Sarahi Flores has long supported immigrant communities as an advocate, labor organizer, and paralegal. As a first-year law student and recipient of the 2026 Jeanette M. Acosta Scholarship, Flores plans to build on that work by using her legal education to champion the rights of workers and undocumented immigrants. 

Raised in the San Fernando Valley, Flores studied philosophy and labor studies at UCLA, where she also worked as a labor rights organizer during a summer fellowship. After graduating, she joined the Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project as a paralegal, supporting asylum seekers applying for refugee status. She later worked with advocacy groups to monitor immigration enforcement activity and connect community members with legal resources. 

The Jeanette M. Acosta Scholarship — a $5,000 annual award honoring the legacy of the 2016 UC Law SF alumna and social justice advocate — supports students with a demonstrated commitment to serving the Latinx community. 

Flores discusses her path to law school, her commitment to immigrant and labor rights, and the impact of this scholarship. 

What inspired you to pursue law school? 

I always knew that I wanted to serve the immigrant community, and I initially had my sights set on immigration law. After my experience as a labor organizer during my UCLA Dream Summer fellowship, I realized my passion for labor rights. I am resolved in serving the immigrant community and remain open to learning about the many facets of law that impact immigrant lives every day. 

What drew you to UC Law San Francisco?  

I met alumni from UC Law SF who encouraged me to apply for the Legal Education Opportunity Program (LEOP). No other law school applications process made me feel as seen as the LEOP application process. It brought to light intimate aspects of my background that couldn’t be captured by checking a box. This showed an appreciation for everything it took for me to reach this point and reflected the law school’s genuine commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

What experiences led you to apply for this scholarship?  

I was inspired by Acosta’s unrelenting dedication to serving immigrant communities and her fight for social justice. Her writing regarding educational equity for unaccompanied minors reminded me of my own experiences assistingunaccompanied minors in their removal proceedings. As a labor organizer and immigrant rights activist, that work – centered around DREAMers, farmworkers, refugees and undocumented immigrants – resonated with me. It is a great honor to receive this scholarship in Acosta’s memory.  

Is there a message you’d like to share with potential donors to UC Law SF scholarships?  

I express my deepest gratitude to the donors. This scholarship supports and motivates mission-driven, social justice-oriented law students in their journeys toward careers serving the underserved. This scholarship also aids students like me who want to give back to their communities. There is a great need for legal professionals who have the cultural sensitivity and understanding needed to serve working-class immigrant communities. This scholarship makes a legal education more accessible for law students who come from marginalized backgrounds.  

What do you hope to accomplish with your law degree? 

I envision myself as a social movement lawyer, serving the immigrant community by blending legal action with community organizing. I see myself building capacity and solidarities among the immigrants’ rights and labor movement as a rebellious lawyer.

The Jeanette M. Acosta Scholarship honors the legacy of a 2016 UC Law SF alumna who championed the rights of marginalized communities before passing away in 2017 after a courageous battle with cervical cancer. Donate here to support this scholarship.