Thomas Parsons

Graduating with a degree in criminal justice, Yasmin Cervantes plans to pursue a career in immigration law.

From a young age, Yasmine Cervantes has always shared a bond with animals. From riding a horse around her family’s ranch when she was six, to feeding stray dogs with her uncle in Mexico, Cervantes has felt compassion for the animals around her.

“When you know you have a connection with a certain animal,” Cervantes said. “You can see it in their eyes; I’ve always felt that growing up.” 

It was Cervantes’s love for animals that inspired her to initially become a veterinarian. Helping the vulnerable seemed to be her calling. She first wanted attended Arlington Heights High School to take their veterinarian courses, but ultimately chose Paschal High School which was closer to family. However, Cervantes’ circumstances and desires changed when her uncle went through an Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) screening and was not allowed back into the United States. This event made Cervantes shift her empathy towards an alternative path in immigration law.   

“I saw the struggle with [ICE],” Cervantes said. “[The ICE proceedings] impacted that part of my family so much that I decided to go a different route.” 

That same drive to help the vulnerable motivated her once again. 

From 2021 to 2023, Cervantes attended Tarrant County College, becoming a first-generation college student. In 2024, Cervantes transferred to Texas Wesleyan University where she studied criminal justice.  

Throughout Cervantes’s academic stint at TxWes, she has made an impact on her fellow peers and professors. Cary Adkinson, associate professor of criminal justice, has watched her grow and become a model student who others can emulate.  

“[Cervantes] is a perfect example of what we hope our students get out of their educational experience here,” Adkinson said. “She believes in her ability to make a positive difference in the world and that motivates her to grow and learn and make connections.”

A timeless quality that stands out in Cervantes is her empathetic personability. Cervantes has gained numerous friendships during her time at TxWes, none closer than with Joseline Morales, a junior criminal justice major and sociology minor. When they met, Cervantes’s warming smile and kindness captivated Morales. 

“She was really nice and sweet; she’s always smiling,” Morales said. “She just seems like such a happy person, which I do know she goes through stuff personally.” 

 Cervantes has taken her commitment and passion outside the classroom and into the offices of Texas Mexico Law, a firm that specializes in immigration law. As an intern, Cervantes does research on developing countries and writes for criminal defense attorneys Rocio Martinez and Raul Natera.  

Cervante’s empathy and desire to serve her community have been seen by her professors. Adkinson said Cervantes has a bright and crucial future that could shape immigration law.  

“Yasmine is on the frontline of helping to educate about [immigration law],” Adkinson said. “I could not be more excited and more proud of her for pursuing that.” 

In today’s current political climate, American immigration continues to be a hot topic. Different administrations and different policies alter the way immigration law is seen and used to protect those seeking asylum or citizenship in the United States. Cervantes hopes that with her service and passion to pursue immigration justice, other Americans can be informed on the motivations and reasons why immigrants come to the United States. 

“I hope that people will understand that not all immigrants are bad,” Cervantes said. “The people that do come here have families that try to support them… by leaving their homes that they’ve always known to come to the states, because we have perceived the states as the American dream.” 

With Cervantes graduating this Spring, Adkinson feels proud of how far Cervantes has come and what she has meant to the Criminal Justice Society at TxWes.  

“When she graduates, she will be irreplaceable,” Adkinson said. “We won’t just miss the connection we formed with [her]. We will miss having [her] leadership presence on campus, she was one of those students.” 

For the rest of her peers, Cervantes emphasized the importance of making a lasting impact on the people around them, even for a short period of time. 

“No matter what you put out—good, bad—you alter somebody’s life in a way that you don’t know,” Cervantes said.