CHCI-PepsiCo Foundation Law Graduate Fellow
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
School: American University Washington College of Law
Degree: J.D.
Placement 1: Chambers of the Honorable of Judge Puig-Lugo
Placement 2: U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth
Gidget Gabriela Benitez was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Maryland and Florida. She graduated from the University of Central Florida with a B.S. in Psychology and Certificates in Criminal Profiling and Behavioral Forensics. In 2016, Gidget graduated from American University Washington College of Law, where she earned her Juris Doctor with a focus on intellectual property law.
In law school, Gidget was Editor-in-Chief of the American University Intellectual Property Brief and a Student Attorney in the American University Washington College of Law Civil Advocacy Clinic, where she worked on wage theft, U-visa, and T-visa matters. During her summers, she was a Judicial Intern for the Honorable Jimmie V. Reyna at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the Honorable Ivan D. Davis at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
In her spare time, Gidget served the Hispanic Bar Association of DC as Co-Chair of the Student Affairs Committee and is currently a member of the Legislation and Policy Committee and Chair of the Diversity Report Committee. To address deficiencies in knowledge about scholarships for people of color, Gidget created “Afro LAWtina,” a podcast dedicated to answering frequently asked questions of African American and Latino pre-law and law students, sharing networking strategies and success during and after law school.
Gidget’s passion for public service stems from her own experience as a homeless high school student raised by a single mother from the Caribbean islands. As a CHCI Law Graduate Fellow, she is eager to get hands-on experience in federal policymaking and develop the tools and professional experiences required to create national legislative change, while working on behalf of underserved communities.