Sylvia Wolak is a first-generation law student and first-generation American. Her parents emigrated from Poland just before the declaration of martial law and the closing of international borders. Sylvia received her Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and her Masters in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago where she taught literature and first year writing for three years.
Before attending law school, Sylvia was the Pro Bono Coordinator of domestic violence programming at the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC). At NIJC, she worked with Chicagoland law firms and pro bono attorneys to file petitions for immigration relief for survivors of domestic violence and violent crimes. She also represented immigrants in front of USCIS as a DOJ-accredited representative. Sylvia remains a member of NIJC’s Associate Leadership Board, and is fluent in Polish and Spanish.