SPOTLIGHT

New York City Native Finds Good Life in Nebraska

Marc Soto wasn’t sure the University of Nebraska was for him when he stepped off the plane to check out the law school in the spring of 1997.

Although he was a native and lifetime resident of the Bronx, it wasn’t that Soto was uncomfortable with the notion of living outside "The City." After all, he had attended prep school in Massachusetts on a scholarship from A Better Choice, a program designed to give minority students the opportunity to attend private school. And, he had traveled to his mother’s native Puerto Rico every summer for the first 18 years of his life.

But Nebraska?

"The first time I went, I was worried that I was headed into ‘hick country,’" Soto jokes. "But I was completely wrong. My visit to the law school turned out to be such a great experience that I enrolled just one week later."

That summer, Soto packed up a rental truck and drove the 1,300 miles from New York to Nebraska. It was a lonely journey. "I spent a lot of time reflecting on my life," Soto recalls, particularly because of his mother’s death the previous spring. But by the time he arrived in Lincoln, Soto was ready to rededicate himself to his goal of "trying to make a difference."

And what a difference he made. A self-described "activist," Soto got involved with countless activities on campus and in the community—and made both better. For example, Soto dramatically increased the fund-raising effort for Project Wishlist, an annual program at the University of Nebraska where law students take a couple of dozen local needy children shopping for winter clothes. Under his guidance, Nebraska students more than doubled the usual budget, raising more than $4,200.

Meanwhile, Soto and a few other students organized a weekly Latino dance night at a local nightclub in downtown Lincoln, offering salsa lessons and a disc jockey. They started small, but by the end of the year, the club was bringing in more than 120 people every week. This year, Soto helped a new Columbian restaurant get off the ground just down the street. "I love my Spanish music," Soto says. "And I love my Spanish food."

His interests have also extended to student government. "Being such an activist, I made it a point to get involved," Soto says. In addition to his work last year as student bar association second-year class president, Soto has served as the ABA Law Student Division’s 8th Circuit lieutenant governor for diversity for the past two years.

"When the ABA had their fall circuit conference, I attended and got bitten by the bug," he explains. Soto has brought a number of thought-provoking speakers to the circuit, raising awareness of minority issues throughout the 8th Circuit. He has also been active in the Hispanic National Bar Association Law Student Division.

Hard work and elected politics are nothing new to Soto. After graduating from the Milton Academy prep school in Massachusetts in 1983, Soto worked for Bell Atlantic in New York City as a customer service representative and cable splicing technician for a few years. Even as he worked toward his undergraduate degree at Fordham University through the evening program, Soto’s peers in the Communications Workers of America recognized his leadership and elected him as their union shop steward. When he graduated from Fordham in 1996, he says, "I got my focus back and decided it was time to go to law school."

After law school, Soto looks forward to returning to New York to enter city politics. "Any disenfranchised or disempowered community is where I want to be," he says. "I don’t have a plan, and I know I’ll have to start small, but hopefully, God willing, I’ll be able to fulfill my ultimate goal: to make a difference for my community." •

 

Brandon Bigelow

Brandon Bigelow, a 2L at Boston College Law School, is student editor of Student Lawyer.

 

Do you know a distinguished current law student who would make an interesting subject for Spotlight? Please e-mail any suggestions along with your name, address, and daytime/evening phone numbers to abastulawyer @abanet.org (subject line, Spotlight) or write to Student Lawyer, 750 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60601, attn: Spotlight.