At the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, Women’s History Month offers a powerful opportunity to celebrate not only the achievements of women in the legal profession, but also the next generation of advocates already transforming lives. Nowhere is that clearer than in the Buccola Family Homeless Advocacy Clinic (BFHAC), where female law students are leading with compassion, skill, and unwavering dedication to justice.

Student attorneys in BFHAC provide critical legal services that remove barriers to housing and employment for unhoused individuals who have had contact with the criminal legal system. Through this work, students gain invaluable hands-on litigation experience, representing clients across civil, criminal, and administrative matters.

This month, we spotlight the remarkable work of three student partnerships whose advocacy embodies the spirit of Women’s History Month.

Eden Bradshaw & Katrina Syrakos

Eden Bradshaw ‘26 of North Beach, Maryland and Katrina Syrakos ‘26 of Lynn, Massachusetts have demonstrated exceptional legal acumen representing a client in complex expungement matters spanning three counties. They appeared on the record in two counties, confidently navigating courtroom proceedings and tackled a jurisdictional legal question of first impression. Rather than shying away from the complexity, they thoroughly researched the issue, submitted multiple rounds of supplemental briefing, and prevailed on the merits. It was the kind of lawyering textbooks cannot elucidate. 

The result made their efforts more than worthwhile. Their client, a veteran, now has a clean record, and with it, a promising path forward. He is eligible to pursue his dream role as a veteran's service officer, allowing him to channel his own experiences into serving his community.

Bradshaw reflected on her journey. “I truly came to law school because I thought learning the law was the best way for me to help the most people in my lifetime. BFHAC is helping the people who need it most in our community. I am proud to be part of such a motivated group of people," Bradshaw said. 

Syrakos emphasized the clinic’s impact on her professional growth. 

“I am grateful for the opportunity to be in the clinic because it has helped me develop an appreciation for client centeredness, hone my oral advocacy skills, and navigate both administrative (SSI) and judicial (criminal records remedies) adjudicatory systems. It has been extremely rewarding and inspiring to assist clients on an individual level while also contemplating how individual issues fit into a larger systemic scheme. I now have a profound appreciation for how attorneys can help clients navigate systems to make meaningful changes in their lives," Syrakos said. 

Alexandria Tolman & Sara Walling

Alexandria Tolman ‘27 of Elk Grove and Sara Walling ‘27 of Galt have made an equally profound impact through their client-centered advocacy, demonstrating both compassion and an attention to detail in high-stakes matters.

Tolman and Walling successfully represented one client in a “continuing disability review” before the Social Security Administration—ensuring that she would not lose her only income and risk falling back into homelessness. For another client, they secured an extraordinary 18 expungements, creating new pathways to employment and housing.

Tolman reflected on the deeper motivations behind her work. 

“I came to law school because I’m passionate about the intersection of law and policy, particularly as it relates to advocating for unhoused individuals. I think that earning a law degree will allow me to represent these communities on a broader, policy-driven scale. BFHAC was a major factor in my decision to attend McGeorge because it provides me the opportunity to engage directly with these issues in a meaningful way and beyond the classroom," Tolman said. 

Walling spoke to the importance of her work and its relevance in her studies.

"Too many people lack access to basic legal services. I came to law school to become a stronger advocate for my community, and BFHAC has given me the chance to do that work," Walling said. "At BFHAC, we work alongside our clients to protect their rights and restore a sense of autonomy in systems that too often take it away. The clinic bridges the gap between what we learn in the classroom and the lived realities our clients face."

Cassandra Tubiello & Ash De La Rosa

Finally, Cassandra Tubiello ‘27 from Reno, Nevada and Ash De La Rosa ‘27 from Van Nuys, California, have distinguished themselves through dynamic courtroom advocacy and a deep commitment to self-reflection and personal growth. 

In November 2025, they successfully represented a client before an administrative law judge, helping him obtain vital Social Security disability benefits which will offer stable income for future rent and other basic needs. In February, they appeared in Sacramento Superior Court, where they tried a case involving a citation issued to a client for using a children’s bike stroller to transport his elderly dog and a jug of water. Tubiello and De La Rosa presented a compelling defense, including arguments that Sacramento County’s prohibition on the use of shopping carts in the park was unconstitutionally vague as applied to their client’s bike stroller. The judge in that case dismissed the infraction “in the interests of justice,” underscoring the strength of their arguments and skilled courtroom advocacy. 

De La Rosa reflected on the deeper personal significance of this work.

“Participating in BFHAC is meaningful to me because most of my life I felt powerless, especially in supporting unhoused communities. Growing up in Los Angeles, I did not understand why people were unhoused or how I could help. I am now able to provide direct legal services to members of this community and it has taught me not only about the attorney I want to be, but the person I want to be,” De La Rosa said.

She continued, “All in all, my time in BFHAC has been validating by showing me that my compassion and empathy is not a weakness in the legal field but a strength.”

Empowering Advocacy

Through the Buccola Family Homeless Advocacy Clinic, students at McGeorge are not waiting to make a difference — they are already doing it. In honoring their work, we celebrate not only what they have accomplished, but the transformative power of legal advocacy — one client and one case at a time. These students and their excellence reflect the very essence of Women’s History Month: leadership rooted in service, progress driven by courage, and a commitment to lifting up others.