BPI Alumni Spotlight: Amanda Moncada

IMG_3260Enjoy the latest from our blog series highlighting former BPI staff, fellows, interns, and directors. Today we’re profiling Amanda Moncada.

Affiliation with BPI
2015 Summer Fellow for Affordable Housing

Current Position
Associate at Sidley Austin, LLP

Fun fact about yourself
We had a golden retriever named King growing up. My grandfather bought him. Everyone loved my grandpa, and people had respect for him, so I imagine he thought of himself as a king and named the dog “King” accordingly.


Why did you choose to work at BPI?

I took a housing clinic course that covered affordable housing’s patterns and history in Chicago. We studied the Gautreaux case, which was monumental at the time and still is today. We had many discussions and debates in class about it. I also had an opportunity to work with developers and minority business owners around housing and providing opportunities to low-income families. I never saw myself involved in this work until I knew it existed. And now here I am!

What unique skills and/or experiences do you bring to your work as a fellow at BPI? 

While my professional experience is fairly limited, my personal experience growing  up on the South Side of Chicago gave me insight into many of the issues BPI addresses. We moved to a different neighborhood going into my sophomore year of high school, and I realized how unequal resources could be. After that, I made up my mind to give back to my community. In college, I started organizations and conferences for low-income families or students. I think what I bring to BPI is this drive to make a difference in communities like the one in which I grew up.

What are your professional goals as a public interest lawyer?

I’m new to my career right now, so I’m not quite sure. Whatever I do, I always want to be kept on my toes. I want to be relevant and serving some sort of purpose.

What are your personal goals?

I want to establish my own scholarship so that I can provide financial opportunities or sponsor a young woman from a similar background through college and law school. I know that there are not as many women of color in my profession, so I would love to help sponsor someone the way that I’ve been sponsored myself.

What does social justice mean to you?

I think social justice means having access to equal opportunity. I say opportunity because all it takes is an opportunity to change someone’s life. Too many people lack the opportunity for a quality education, or lack access to job skills or housing.

What is one big lesson that you took away from working at BPI?

One lesson I took away from working at BPI was to always have some perspective regarding why you are doing your work.  Keep in mind what your work means to yourself, and certainly to others, because you want to have a positive impact on the people you serve.  While working on my memorandum on tenants’ rights in low-income housing, I didn’t focus on its significance at the time. When I was taking a housing tour with BPI to see the many ways tenants have been positively affected by the advocacy of attorneys, I realized that I was very proud to have played even a small part in that this summer. 

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