Class of 2027

Angeline, rising 2L (they/them) graduated with a Special Major in Black Studies from Swarthmore College in 2022. During their time at Swarthmore, Angeline co-facilitated a student-run course in the Swarthmore College Black Studies Program, “Freedom Dreaming: Black Radical Insurgency and Abolitionist Imaginings,” that engaged students with histories of resistance and present-day movements advancing the theory and impact of prison abolition. They also received the 2022 Black Cultural Center Maurice Eldridge ’61 Community Service Award.

Angeline credits their time at Prison Radio with shaping their social and political framework. Prison Radio is a multimedia production studio broadcasting incarcerated voices.

After graduating, Angeline worked at Kairys, Rudovsky, Messing, Feinberg, and Lin LLP, supporting attorneys conducting court-appointed criminal defense and wrongful conviction litigation.

At Temple Law, Angeline’s legal focuses are indigent criminal defense aimed at keeping community members out of jail and prison, and civil impact litigation that responds to the material needs of everyday people navigating the criminal legal system.

“I want to contribute to the sprawling legacy of legal workers everywhere committed to emboldening historically abandoned communities, securing safety for their circles in the short term, while working towards disarming violent institutions altogether in the long term.”

Cinthia Ibarra, rising 2L (she/ella) is originally from Mexico, grew up in New York, and has lived in Philly for almost a decade. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Criminology, with minors in Latin American and Latinx Studies and Law and Society, from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020.

Prior to law school, Cinthia was an organizer with Philly Climate Works, a project of the Sierra Club’s Pennsylvania Chapter, where she worked with a coalition of climate justice and housing justice focused organizations in Philadelphia. Before that, she was the Community Education and Engagement Lead at Justice at Work, a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit that provides legal services, community education, and advocacy to low-wage immigrant workers. There, she led statewide outreach efforts and developed, strengthened, and maintained relationships with community groups and grassroots organizations.

As a Latina with multiple marginalized identities, Cinthia deeply understands the importance of coalition building and community organizing. In her legal career, she seeks to pursue legal remedies for low-wage immigrant workers facing sexual harassment, workplace exploitation, and labor trafficking, while working in tandem with community members in the fight for immigrant worker justice. She is committed to standing on the frontlines with the most exploited workers in our society, bolstering the labor movement, and bringing power back to the workers. On the road towards collective liberation, she is energized by her community and her hope for rebuilding a better world.

Elizabeth Rapkin, rising 2L(she/her) is a Temple Law student with a strong interest in juvenile justice, education law, and disability rights. Prior to law school, she served as an AmeriCorps member with the Tribal Law Practice Group at Montana Legal Services Association in Helena, where she supported legal aid attorneys representing clients in tribal courts across Montana’s seven reservations.

Before her work in Montana, Elizabeth was part of the Child Advocacy Center at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where she collaborated with multidisciplinary teams to support children who were survivors of abuse and neglect. Elizabeth graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh Honors College. In her free time, she enjoys painting and drawing, traveling, and reading.

Kaelea Shaner, 1LE (she/her) is currently the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for the Delaware Judiciary, where she works to enhance diversity within the Delaware bench and bar and promote inclusion and equal access to justice in the courts. She serves on the board of the Delaware Law-Related Education Center, where she focuses on enhancing civics education and access to legal careers for students.

Kaelea holds a master’s degree in education, with a focus on LGBTQIA+ student wellness. She is part of the Interdisciplinary Review Committee for the Charlene Arcila Trans Wellness Collective, a Philadelphia-based organization that provides resources and gatherings for trans, gender non-conforming, and non-binary people around the country.