Ashley graduated from Coe College in 2024 with a BA in Social and Criminal Justice and Spanish. During her undergraduate career, she interned with the Illinois Prison Project in Chicago and the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs in Washington, D.C., educating people about the effects of mass incarceration and advocating for prisoners’ rights. Ashley developed a strong passion for helping folks who have been negatively impacted by the criminal legal system and who whose civil rights have been infringed upon. Ashley joined the Detained Unaccompanied Immigrant Children’s Protection project at NIJC as a paralegal delivering Know Your Rights presentations to children in ORR custody in the Chicagoland area shelters. Ashley is now the Know Your Rights Project Coordinator on the Immigrant Legal Defense Project. In her role, she processes KYR presentation requests from community organizations, conducts intakes with potential clients, and works with clients to prepare their filings before USCIS. Ashley’s strong affinity to working with the immigrant community comes from her experience being first generation and wanting to give back to her community, ensuring access to legal services.