“To be recognized by the University is to see the seeds CUNY Law planted in my first year of law school truly bloom. My journey, starting as an immigrant and eventually a law student through the halls of CUNY Law, instilled the profound belief that law must serve the people—a principle I live out daily in my own practice, helping the individuals, families, artists, and entrepreneurs I serve navigate the complex field of immigration. This honor reinforces my commitment to continue empowering the immigrant community so they can positively contribute to our society because I believe that immigrants and immigration make America great.”
When Angela Antonia Torregoza ’12 talks about being named to the CUNY 50 Under 50 list, she immediately situates the honor in context: family, community, and the immigrant story that shaped her. “My family is so proud,” she said. “And I want people who look like me to know they can become lawyers. When I was young, the only lawyers I knew were older men. I didn’t see myself reflected. CUNY changed that.”
Torregoza’s path through CUNY reflects what the University delivers at its strongest: access, opportunity, and a community that propels people forward. After immigrating from the Philippines and settling in New York City, she began her education as a part-time student at LaGuardia Community College, transferred to The City College of New York, where she graduated summa cum laude, and went on to earn her law degree from CUNY School of Law in 2012. “CUNY is a tool for upward mobility,” she said. “It doesn’t just uplift individuals; it uplifts families and whole communities.”
That through-line is central to the work she does today. As an immigration attorney and founder of LegalEase.us, Torregoza has built her practice around making immigration law “simple and accessible,” not only as a business model but as a philosophy shaped by her own lived experience. Having navigated the immigration system herself, she felt the gap between what people needed and how the law is often delivered. “I wanted a client-centered practice where people understand the process and feel empowered,” she said. “They should be partners in their own cases.”
Her approach is deeply connected to the training she received at CUNY Law. “CUNY taught us to be holistic practitioners,” she said. She credits the law school’s emphasis on contemplative lawyering, critical pedagogy, and community-based practice with shaping the way she shows up for clients in moments of fear and uncertainty. “Our job isn’t to add to the fear. It’s to clarify, to contextualize, to remind people of their rights,” she explained. “We can’t be pessimists—solutions don’t come from that mindset.”
The recognition she now receives, including being named a Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2019 to 2023, and her admission to both the New York State Bar and the U.S. Supreme Court Bar, sits alongside something she finds equally meaningful: the network of CUNY Law alumni she encounters everywhere in city life. “We’re everywhere,” she said, laughing. “And when you meet someone from CUNY, you don’t have to explain what you’re about.” CUNY graduates come with a clear reputation: people “love what you do, love where you’re from, [and] love your philosophy as a lawyer.”
Her years at CUNY Law reinforced that orientation. She remembers classmates circulating outlines across cohorts (and is pleased that some of her outlines appear to remain in circulation!), professors who remained mentors long after graduation, and the practical support she received when she launched her practice in CUNY LawWorks, the school’s incubator for mission-driven firms. “It really does take a village,” she said. “And CUNY Law embodies that. I felt safe and supported, and that continues even now. There’s no competition—just people uplifting one another.”
In a moment when immigrant communities face escalating fear and rhetoric, Torregoza sees her work and the values that guided her into it as especially urgent. “What we see in the news is often designed to scare people,” she noted. “But immigration law hasn’t changed. It’s case-specific. People deserve counsel that helps them understand what’s actually happening.”
Her recognition on the CUNY 50 Under 50 list honors more than professional achievement. It highlights the story of a CUNY graduate who embodies the university’s defining narrative: opportunity, access, community, and the belief that public education can change the trajectory of a life.
“Without CUNY,” she said, “I wouldn’t be a lawyer. New York wouldn’t be the city that it is without CUNY.”
Torregoza carries that understanding into every aspect of her work. Her story is a reflection of what CUNY Law exists to make possible: lawyers who use the law to serve others, strengthen communities, and expand access to justice.