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 organization since 2016 where she started as a law clerk and outreach worker. Molly speaks Spanish and loves helping migrant families.
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.
