Independent Semester Abroad:
Universidad Panamericana, Mexico
Annie spent the fall semester of her 3L year at Universidad Panamericana in Mexico City.
Why did you decide to study abroad?
I have spent five of the last ten years studying or working overseas. The perspectives I have gained and friendships I have made abroad are central to who I am today.
I think that there is no better way to understand your own legal system than by immersing yourself in a comparative context. I focused on finding a study abroad program in Latin America because I came to law school to be an immigration lawyer and wanted to shore up my Spanish language skills prior to starting work.
How did you identify the school where you wanted to study?
At first, identifying one law school out of the hundreds across Central and South America was daunting. I contacted several HLS LL.M. students who had attended law schools in Latin America, and I learned about Universidad Panamericana (UP) from them. I reached out to the university and was put in touch with a welcoming and helpful dean who supported me through the application process.
It was important to me to understand legal and social dynamics in Mexico, a country that plays a critical role in U.S. immigration but whose perspectives are frequently overlooked. Attending a law school in Mexico allowed me to engage with immigration law through academic, linguistic, and cultural lenses so that I can be a more effective and thoughtful advocate.
How did you prepare for your semester in Mexico City?
In college, after college, and during law school, I studied immigration law, policy, and history and worked with migrants’ rights organizations. At HLS, I took Immigration Law, International Labor Migration, Immigration and Refugee Advocacy, and Crimmigration. I also participated in the Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Clinic and the Crimmigration Clinic, and I have interned with two organizations supporting asylum seekers on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Knowing that I wanted to study abroad during my 3L year, I took two semesters of upper-level Spanish electives at Harvard College. The summer before I left for Mexico, I also spent a few hours a week reviewing Spanish vocabulary lists.
What courses did you take at Universidad Panamericana?
I took three law classes, all taught in Spanish.
The first was a seminar called Homo Migrans: Philosophy, Ethics, and Law in Migration, which provided American, Mexican, and international perspectives on immigration law – exactly what I was looking to get out of a law school study abroad experience. I learned about this class when I was choosing a university, and it is one of the main reasons why I applied to UP.
The second was Health Law, a lecture-style class on health-related matters under Mexican constitutional, Mexican administrative, and international law. It was challenging but ultimately rewarding to dive into Mexican statutes with no prior exposure to their legal system. This class also provided thought-provoking comparative perspectives. For example, when discussing Mexico’s heavy regulation of the marketing of prescription drugs, the professor emphasized how much Mexican regulation contrasts with billboard advertisements and celebrity endorsements of medications in the U.S.
The third was Law and Film, a seminar that examined how films engage with legal topics.
Outside of the law faculty, I took History and Culture of Mexico and a Spanish language course.
How was the experience?
One of the beautiful things about universities is that the basic ingredients are universal: classes, conferences, exams, lecture halls, libraries, readings, running into familiar faces on campus. In these ways, UP was like Harvard or any other university.
Some notable differences between studying law at UP and Harvard include the lack of cold calls at UP (thank goodness!), the frequent use of final oral exams in lieu of final written exams, and the focus on statutory law over case law, given that Mexico is a civil law country. A fun difference (Harvard should take note!) is that UP has a “hammock zone” where students can catch some zzz’s between classes.
Two field trips were highlights of my semester. The first was with my History and Culture of Mexico class to the MegaOfrenda, a stadium-sized altar for Day of the Dead, at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. The second was with my Homo Migrans professor to a Lebanese Maronite church to learn about Lebanese migration to Mexico. As an aspiring immigration lawyer, I find great joy in learning about the ways people carry their cultures with them to build unique, transnational communities and traditions in their new homes.
Outside of school, I found a local studio where I took pottery classes each week. At the studio, I ran into a group of Mexican students who had been exchange students at my middle school in 2007! We ended up going out for drinks and catching up after a decade and a half. I also enjoyed long walks through Mexico City’s incredible parks and made a point of taking advantage of the city’s extensive network of museums. I was a frequent flier at the quesadilla stand on my block and became a big fan of ordering my quesadillas with huitlacoche, a yummy mushroom that grows on corn.
How will the semester abroad fit in with your career plans?
This fall, I will start work as an immigration lawyer at a nonprofit in New York City that represents asylum seekers. Language skills, knowledge of foreign legal systems, and cultural humility are critical ingredients of zealous advocacy on behalf of clients in the immigration system. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to develop each of these skills during my semester at Universidad Panamericana.