Katie Hyde L’23

Katie joins Penn Law with a passion for improving access to immigration legal services in underserved regions of the United States. She decided to apply to law school after working as an immigration paralegal in her hometown of Kansas City, where she served asylum seekers, survivors of persecution, and detained children who were seeking status in the United States.

Prior to joining Penn Law, Katie worked at immigration law firms in Washington, DC, Kansas City, and Philadelphia, where she came to appreciate the breadth, depth, and beauty of the immigrant experience in the United States. She also gained policy experience as a Research Assistant Intern at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, where she studied corruption, gang violence, and emigration in Central America.

Katie graduated summa cum laude from American University with a B.A. in International Studies and Spanish Language & Area Studies, as well as a Certificate in Spanish Translation. While pursuing her degree, Katie received an undergraduate research grant to conduct research in El Salvador on the Catholic church’s role in the 2012 gang truce.

Outside of school, Katie enjoys reading, doting on her house plants, and running a small Spanish translation business.