Prior to joining the Young Center, Vanessa was the Pro-Bono Coordinator and Senior Staff Attorney at the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project in Phoenix, Arizona. At FIRRP, Vanessa represented detained and released children before the Phoenix Immigration Court and Maricopa County Juvenile Court. In addition, she mentored pro-bono attorneys handling children’s cases. Following law school, Vanessa was an Associate at Tapia-Ruano & Gunn, P.C., in Chicago, Illinois, where she practiced removal defense and family-based immigration law. Vanessa obtained her Juris Doctor from the DePaul University College of Law, and her bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University. She is licensed to practice law in Illinois and Arizona.