Thea Gonzales is a JusticeCorps fellow who lives in Chicago. Since September of 2020, Thea has served as a LiveHelp volunteer - via instant message, in real time, she helps website users find the help they seek. Since she began through February of 2021, Thea has devoted more than 80 hours to ILAO's LiveHelp program.
Alternative (or dream) career:
"A traveling bard! I think I would kill it on the lute."
Favorite technology of the moment:
"The Mematic app, where I make memes about the law and share them with friends."
Why did you become a LiveHelp volunteer?
When pandemic guidelines restricted access to the courthouse, in-person service became unsafe. My program supervisor suggested ILAO as another opportunity for service, so I've been really lucky to continue serving online.
What do you like most about being an ILAO volunteer?
I find that “you don’t know anything until you can teach it to someone else '' sentiment especially true of volunteering with ILAO. Whether it’s as a Community Navigator or LiveHelp Operator, ILAO has given me the tools to educate myself and empower other people with all the resources on the website and through the “Know Your Rights” presentations. Some days are a loving challenge because I don’t always have the right answers that patrons are looking for, but every shift is a learning experience that prepares me for the next one.
What have you gained from your experience?
Volunteering with ILAO has all at once inspired and humbled me. Everyday, people come to the site and trust me, someone they’ve never met, with legal information that can potentially influence the decisions they make about a child custody case or an eviction or bankruptcy or their criminal record. These are peoples’ lives I’m being asked to understand and help with, if only for the five minutes we’re on a chat, and I don’t take that responsibility lightly. All people deserve access to justice, and that begins with access to legal information.
