Class of 2026: JD Grad Tessa Hanson-Vargas on Her Journey from GED to JD
Theresa “Tessa” Hanson-Vargas didn’t take the traditional path to a law degree. After dropping out of high school in the ninth grade she earned her GED as an adult and then became a paralegal.
“A law degree was something I once dreamed about but believed was unattainable, so I became a paralegal instead,” says Hanson-Vargas.
The fourth-generation Tucsonan saw friends and family caught in judicial and adjudicatory systems they couldn’t navigate. Forms they couldn’t decode. Processes that wore them down. As a paralegal, although her skillset advanced and her understanding of the law deepened, she found herself unsatisfied with the limits of what her role allowed her to do. So, she went further.
The first-generation college graduate will earn her JD this spring and hopes to set a new standard for her children and generations to come.
“I wanted higher education to become a norm in my family rather than something uncommon and unattainable,” she says. “We deserve to be here as much as anyone else despite our hardships in previous generations.”
For Hanson-Vargas, choosing Arizona Law was the only option. She knew her success depended on staying rooted in the community that raised her.
“I could not imagine attending any other school because I would not have the Tucson community anywhere else. My success in law school was dependent on being in Tucson,” she says.
During her time in the JD program, she credits Professor Rob Williams’ International Human Rights course as one that changed the way she thinks, not just about law but life.
“International Human Rights let me travel the world and explore different Indigenous cultures, all from the classroom,” says Hanson-Vargas. “The material shifted how I see geopolitics and helped me heal parts of my life where I used to feel like I had failed. I do not see myself that way anymore.”
Most importantly, she shares how her time in the course will allow her to carry these new perspectives forward and pass them on to her children.
When contemplating the hardest thing about law school, Hason-Vargas says it was the urge to compare yourself with your peers.
“It happens naturally and unconsciously. You are suddenly in an environment where everyone is smart, and some are competing to be the smartest. The best way to get through law school is by being authentic and vulnerable,” she says. “By being authentic and vulnerable, I found more support than I could have asked for.—both from staff and fellow students. So, my advice is to try to stay out of your own head and know that your struggles can be more powerful than your constant success.”
After graduation, Hanson-Vargas plans to practice criminal law in the Tucson community and Tucson’s tribal communities.
“Criminal law is not just about crime. It is about issues in our community,” she says. “Criminal law is about mental health, housing, immigration, poverty, relationships and many other issues affecting our communities. Criminal law is where we need advocacy for all parties in the legal system.”
Beyond her plans for practice, Hanson-Vargas is clear that the meaning of this degree extends far beyond her career.
“This degree is an attestation to what I can accomplish regardless of the obstacles. It has given my children an inspiration I could never give them in words,” she says. “I showed them how to persevere, how to ask for help, and how to go for what you want no matter how big or impossible it may seem.”
Dean’s Achievement Award (2023–2025)
Charles and Jean Ares Scholarship Recipient (2023)
Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Vine Deloria Jr. Scholar (2024–2025)
CALI Excellence for the Future Award: Tribal Courts and Tribal Law
Rob Williams Tuition Scholarship (2024–2026)
Treasurer, Native American Law Students Association (2024–2025)
Lexis Nexis Student Representative
Associate Editor, Arizona Journal of Environmental Law (2024–2025)
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
University of Arizona Civil Rights Restoration Clinic (2023–26)