Guided by Purpose: Bowen Law Grad Builds a Legacy of Advocacy and Leadership
Alycia Jameson, a Little Rock native, graduated with her Juris Doctor from the UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law on May 17. She is passionate about immigration law and hopes to use her degree to advocate for Arkansas immigrants in need of legal representation.
Her interest in immigration law began in high school, where she volunteered with the immigrant community and felt an immediate connection.
“It really is one of those things where the stars just kind of aligned for this to become my path,” Jameson said. “But at the core, it has always been about the people.”
In college, Jameson studied Spanish and Latin American studies. As she became more fluent in Spanish and more involved with the community, she noticed how often immigration law posed a major challenge for the people she cared about. That realization led her to law school.
At Bowen, Jameson has served as the 2024–25 symposium editor of the UA Little Rock Law Review, where she organized the annual symposium, Immigration Law, Access to Justice, and Rethinking the ‘Criminal Alien.’ The event brought together immigration scholars and practitioners from across the country to discuss critical issues in immigration law.
“Creating a space at Bowen—and in Arkansas more broadly—to explore barriers to justice for immigrants was incredibly meaningful to me,” she said. “It feels like the most important thing I could leave behind at Bowen, and I’m truly grateful to everyone who helped bring it to life.”
Jameson also contributed to the Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform as a court observer and member of the research and writing team. She was active in the Latin American Law Student Association and earned Top Paper honors in Immigration Law, International Human Rights Law, Research Writing and Analysis, and Advanced Legal Research.
Last summer, she interned with the immigration unit at Brooklyn Defender Services in New York as a Public Interest Fellow. She also received the Dean’s Certificate of Distinguished Service for completing 400 hours of public service during the 2023–24 academic year.
Throughout law school, Jameson leaned on the support of her parents, friends, and her mentor and “law mom,” Danna Young.
“I wouldn’t be where I am without them, and I’ll never be able to say thank you enough,” she said.
After graduation, she will join the Immigrant Justice Corps as a Justice Fellow, working with the removal defense team at The Resurrection Project in Chicago, where she will defend noncitizens facing detention and deportation. Her long-term goal is to return to Arkansas and help expand access to removal defense in her home state.
“I hope to use everything I learn to strengthen the network of support for Arkansas immigrants and ensure they have access to the legal representation they deserve.”
Written by Sydney Ambrus