Passionate about social justice issues from a young age, Angelica Cancel ‘17 knew she wanted to be an advocate, but wasn’t sure what that looked like for her. “I was a Philosophy and Political Science major in college and the pieces just kind of fell into place. I took a few constitutional law classes and found myself really excited about the material,” said Angelica. “From there, I developed mentoring relationships with some attorneys. The idea of going to law school became more of a real possibility and when I thought about it, it felt right.”
Once she enrolled at Haub Law, Angelica knew she was in the right place. “The student-faculty ratio, location in Westchester and proximity to NYC, and the public service and advocacy programs all appealed to me. From the very beginning, Haub Law felt like a community.” At Haub Law, Angelica was heavily involved in both the Latin American Law Student Association and the Advocacy Program, both of which she describes as crucial to her development as a student and attorney.
Today, Angelica is a staff attorney with the Civil Action Practice at The Bronx Defenders. Her practice focuses on housing, employment, and civil rights. Working with The Bronx Defenders is exactly what Angelica hoped to do – engage with her community and more meaningfully pursue social justice initiatives. “As a Latina from the Bronx, I had been following and admiring the work of the organization for a long time and feel fortunate to be part of it now.”
Angelica notes that her day-to-day responsibilities vary as a staff attorney, but the tools she learned through her participation with the Advocacy Program at Haub Law have proved invaluable. “One day, I can be in Bronx Housing Court presenting oral argument or negotiating settlement agreements. The next day, I can be predominantly on the phone following up with clients, opposing counsel, and various agencies. The following day, I am drafting dispositive motions, advocacy letters, and responsive papers. Our office also heavily emphasizes a holistic defense model which means collaborating with other practice groups to address all a client’s needs. Being a public defender illuminates just how much various systems affect one another, which has been essential to becoming a better advocate and community member.”
It was through her participation in the Advocacy Program at Haub Law that Angelica began to build her confidence. “I am the first in my family to attend law school and sometimes I had many moments of self-doubt and insecurity. The Advocacy Program instilled confidence in me from the very beginning. I started with the 1L competition. Somehow, I got through it, advanced, and received positive feedback. I competed in a national competition with my now husband, Jordan Montoya ‘17, and a close friend, Richard Roman ‘17, and we won! I had the opportunity to travel to Florida, Puerto Rico and Vienna, Austria (twice). Of course, those were transformative and beautiful experiences that I will never forget, but more importantly than any travel or accolade, were the relationships I formed with mentors, teachers, and colleagues,” recalls Angelica. “I learned so much from my teammates and coaches, constantly. You develop such a comradery as you go from late nights practicing answering questions in the fishbowl to rooting for each other silently during a stressful round. I knew I wanted to eventually teach as an adjunct professor and coaching advocacy teams upon graduation. After a few years practicing, I was granted that opportunity and have since coached 10 teams.”
Recently, Angelica started teaching Advanced Appellate Advocacy at Haub Law as an Adjunct Professor. “I feel so incredibly grateful to not only teach, but in many ways, learn again. In Advanced Appellate Advocacy, students are so vulnerable in presenting and organizing a complex legal argument. I feel proud to hear their questions, watch them grow as speakers, and perform with confidence and persuasiveness. The students in the class are so talented and it’s been such a gift to be a witness to their passion. It has been a truly full circle experience being able to give back to the Haub Law community that taught me so much.”