Lawlessness to Lawyer
Armando Lopez |
TEDxElkinsHighSchool
• May 2021
In a genuine talk discussing the unusual experiences of his own life, Houston-based lawyer and activist Armando Lopez expresses the cruciality of good company, a growth mindset, and education to escape misfortune and to become successful.
Armando Lopez was born in Mexico City; when he was nine years old, his father, who had been in the US for years working under the "Bracero Program," managed to save enough money to bring Armando, his sisters, and mother to Los Angeles, California. While living in LA’s housing projects, Armando's father worked an agreement to have his children enrolled in a parochial school at Dolores Mission Church in exchange for cleaning the church’s property on weekends. Upon graduation from a Catholic high school, Armando chose to join the Marines, but before he enlisted, he got a scholarship to East LA Junior College. College exposed him to the civil rights movement of the '60s and he became involved in student groups that sought to obtain justice for underprivileged members of society. His activism eventually led to his admission to the Loyola School of Law in LA, and he was duly licensed as a lawyer in Texas, proving that with perseverance and hard work, he could break the barriers he faced.