University Medalist

After Camila Soler’s grandfather was forced to flee armed conflict in Peru in the 1990s, the once-successful metallurgical engineer found few options to provide for his family upon arriving in California. He became a gardener, a grueling job made even tougher by the discrimination he endured—including assault and the burning of his work truck—and the fear of police that kept him from reporting the crimes.

Now, she’s heading to law school in the fall to pursue her dream of providing free and affordable representation for immigrants, and to research and reform policies.

The criminology and criminal justice (CCJS) and psychology double major, who earned a 4.0 GPA, set herself up well throughout her time at UMD. She joined the pre-law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta; was selected for the CCJS Honors Program, where she conducted original research; and interned at the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission, the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program, and an immigration law firm in Houston.

“The law should protect everyone the same way, but it doesn’t,” she said, noting that because immigration is a civil matter, not criminal, those who are sent to court aren’t entitled to a free appointed attorney. In addition, she helped found student group Latina Pathways, now a registered nonprofit. Through education, advocacy and fundraising, it supports Latine immigrants on the path to college, including donating classroom supplies to high school ESOL classes and creating a scholarship for undocumented Terps.

“Higher education opens so many doors,” said Soler, who is proudly Peruvian and Colombian. “I want the Latine community— and other underserved or marginalized communities—to have equal opportunities.”

Growing up in six different countries due to her father’s engineering job gives Soler a unique perspective on being an outsider. She’s taken the empathy and appreciation for different cultures she gained to make others feel welcome at UMD, including serving as a Maryland Images tour guide for the university, as well as sharing her visual disability openly to reduce stigma and encourage others to get the accommodations they need.

“Her ability to organically incorporate these parts of her identity … helped to create a more inclusive and welcoming classroom environment,” said Lecturer John Kim, who invited Soler to be a teaching assistant after she took his legal writing class. “She represents the very best of what it means to be a Terp.”