Migrant Legal Aid is fortunate to not only have a solid team of professional staff in the office, but that it also can rely on the assistance and generosity of its volunteers and interns to help MLA expand beyond, from organizing fundraisers and events, to traveling to migrant camps.
Molly Spaak is a staff attorney and deputy director of Migrant Legal Aid. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the Grand Rapids Bar Association and the Young Lawyers division. At Migrant Legal Aid, she files cases in state, federal, and administrative courts on behalf of farmworkers. She has been with the firm since 2016 where she started as a law clerk and outreach worker. Molly speaks Spanish and loves helping migrant families.
Clara Manuzza is the Impact Coordinator at Migrant Legal Aid, where she works to grow community engagement and support advocacy efforts for migrant farmworkers. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and raised in the United States, Clara’s experiences navigating vastly different worlds led her to pursue a career where she could learn and connect with people of various backgrounds. She studied Anthropology and German Studies at Northern Michigan University, and her background includes translation for legal services, research, editing, and nonprofit outreach. She loves sunny days, road trips, and late-night movies.
Whitney Perez Blake is a Paralegal and Outreach Coordinator at Migrant Legal Aid, where she supports the Attorneys with legal research and case preparation. She also organizes and leads outreach efforts to migrant farmworker housing sites, safeguarding living and working conditions while informing workers of their rights and connecting them to essential resources. Her favorite part of outreach is listening to workers’ stories and finding small ways to brighten their day. Whitney would like to strengthen and expand partnerships with local organizations that share a similar mission and find ways to better serve the needs of migrant farmworkers, together. Whitney graduated as a first-generation student from the University of Michigan with bachelor’s degrees in psychology and Spanish. Born to a resilient migrant agricultural worker, she carries a natural drive to advocate for her community, fueling her pursuit of a career as an Immigration Attorney dedicated to enhancing the lives and expanding the opportunities of her community.
Jennifer Gomez-Pedraza is pursuing a degree in Social Work at Grand Valley State University. As a first-generation college student and the proud daughter of immigrant parents who worked tirelessly as farmworkers, Jennifer was more than happy to be involved in an organization that helps the migrant farmworker community. Her journey at Migrant Legal Aid began when she applied for MLA’s summer internship. This experience of important casework, paired with visiting camps in Michigan, sparked a future interest in working for non-profit organizations that prioritize direct interactions with the community and fight for social justice. Jennifer believes that immersing yourself in the same environment as your clients is necessary to make personal and or systematic changes.
Jennifer enjoys spending time with her loud and energetic family and watching new movies at the theatre while enjoying a bucket of popcorn with extra butter.
