Local immigration attorney Russell Marco Jaurequi will be the keynote speaker for Moreno Valley College’s Cesar E. Chavez Scholarship Breakfast, honoring the activist and his struggle for justice. The breakfast will be held on Friday, March 25, at 7:30 am in the Student Academic Services building.

Proceeds from the breakfast benefit the College’s scholarship fund. Tickets for the breakfast are $25 and available at (951) 571-6358. Sponsorship opportunities are also available through the Riverside Community College District Foundation at (951) 222-8627. On-campus parking is free for the event.

Jaurequi works with AB540 students and their families in order to establish legal residency in the United States. A graduate of Orange Coast College and UC Riverside, Jaurequi received his Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego in 1983. He was one of 12 Latino law students selected from across the nation to participate in a public affairs fellowship program in Southern California.

After working for the Inland Counties Legal Services, AFL-CIO, California Immigrant Workers Association and two local law offices, he founded a private practice in 2014, specializing in immigration and deportation defense. He has also been called to testify as an expert on immigration law issues.

Born in Long Beach, Jaurequi has been widely recognized for his work with immigration law matters, earning praise from student organizations, unions, churches, community organizations and elected officials. He has been singled out three times by the State Bar of California with its Wiley M. Manuel Award for pro bono legal services. He was also named the Inland Empire Latino Lawyers Associations’ Attorney of the Year, and honored by the Chicano Latino Alumni Association and the Inland Empire Immigration Youth Coalition. He is a highly sought after speaker, covering issues effecting undocumented youth, immigration law and policy.

At the breakfast, six scholarships will be awarded — four to local high school students and two to students at the College. MVC students compete in a Visual Arts Competition. Entries are accepted in five categories: painting, drawing, photography, sculpture and video. Meanwhile scholarships will be awarded to two students each from Moreno Valley and Val Verde unified school districts through a speech competition.