Congratulations - Jessica A. Giraldo - Recipient of the Newman Civic Fellows Award, a nomination bestowed by the president of Miami Dade College to one student college wide for their dedication to civic engagement and leadership.

Jessica A. Giraldo

Paralegal Studies Program Student, Miami Dade College

Paralegal, Sean R. Santini, P.A. d/b/a Santini Law

Jessica is a paralegal for Santini Law working in the areas of commercial litigation and international arbitration. She has five years of legal experience, previously working in family law for Orshan & Fajardo, P.A. It was during her time at Orshan & Fajardo, P.A. that she realized she wanted to forge a paralegal career. She enrolled at Miami Dade College, South Florida’s only ABA-approved Associate Degree program.

            While at MDC, Jessica has excelled on many levels. From leading an elite group of paralegal students in community service, pro bono work and legal community guest speaker events, to being awarded a national scholarship from the National Federation of Paralegal Association’s in 2010.

Jessica has become an exemplary leader as the lead organizer for 305 Rise, a campaign developed at Harvard Kennedy School’s Latino Leadership Initiative, dedicated to building the leadership capacity of first-year, first-generation college students. Additionally, she was selected as one of 50 students nationwide to attend an actionable leadership summit in Washington, D.C. through the Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s Latinos on Fast Track (LOFT) Institute. She also serves as the student member of the Paralegal Studies Program Advisory Board, and Newsletter Editor and board member of the South Florida Paralegal Association. Most notably, Jessica is the recipient of the Newman Civic Fellows Award, a nomination bestowed by the president of Miami Dade College to one student college wide for their dedication to civic engagement and leadership. Her most rewarding activity, however, is reading once a week during lunch to a 3rd grader at Southside Elementary through the Everybody Wins! South Florida reading program.

            Jessica graduates this semester and will be pursuing a bachelor’s in Communications. She aspires to a career in empowering young people, and is interested in education and law. She enjoys writing, reading, spending time with family, and learning new things, whether a new recipe or technology.