By Rachel Rowlee PZ ’25

Isabelle Thacker joined the Pitzer community when her husband, Strom C. Thacker took office on July 1st, 2023. She spoke with The Outback through an email exchange on her experience at Pitzer thus far, her career as an attorney, and how she hopes to engage with the Pitzer community. 

Thacker, who previously worked as a supervising attorney at The Legal Project in Albany, explained how her passion for social justice led her to pursue a career in law. She described observing noticeable socioeconomic and racial divisions growing up in New Orleans in the 1970s and 1980s.

“At some point, I realized that perhaps I could make things a bit less unfair for some people if I became an attorney and advocated for them,” Thacker said. 

This philosophy is reflected in Isabelle’s work, which she said involves “representing people who face barriers to accessing what many of us take for granted.” 

Thacker described some of these barriers, explaining how her work focuses on, “access to appropriate services in school, public benefits, decent housing, immigration status, and/or the right to live free from violence or coercive control.”. 

She explained that these are issues that she believes her work can help address in Southern California.

“Given my skill set and the limitations on my law licensing (I am a member of the Georgia, Massachusetts, and New York state bars, but not of California’s), I am hoping to be able to do some volunteer work as an immigration attorney in Southern California.” 

Thacker went on to explain she could practice immigration law within the State of California, as it is governed by federal law, and can be practiced in any state. 

Additionally, Thacker is fluent in Spanish and is hoping to work directly with Spanish-speaking immigrant populations while in Southern California.

“A dream of mine has long been to do volunteer work with immigrants on the U.S./Mexico border,” Thacker said. “I’m not sure what form that will take, but as I get involved with various local communities and groups, I hope to be able to figure out a way to volunteer on the border.”

Thacker expressed that her legal career “has not been linear,” and any career in social justice will have both great and challenging experiences. She emphasized her openness to discuss her career with students, as well as their own aspirations and interests. 

“I have spoken with a few Pitzer students who are interested in working on immigration or social justice issues and/or becoming an attorney and would welcome those kinds of conversations with anyone in the Pitzer community,” Thacker said. “Please feel free to reach out!”

Thacker illustrated that her openness to the community has come from a deep admiration for the community members she has engaged with thus far at Pitzer. 

“I love how inquisitive people are,” Thacker said. “I love the passion people bring to their ideas about social justice. I love how people care about each other and the world.”

Ultimately, for Thacker it is Pitzer’s core values which have drawn her to the college’s community, and she is incredibly excited to become an even bigger part of it.

“Pitzer’s core values and mission really resonate with my interests and career choices, Thacker said. “I am excited to become engaged in activities that Pitzer students lead. Y’all are a dynamic and creative group, and I’m looking forward to seeing, and if you would like, helping with, the programs/ideas that you are working on to further social justice.”