Stephanie Ridella Vittands graduated from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2014. Since August 2014, she has served as an AmeriCorps VISTA, as the Housing Coordinator for the Center for Disability & Elder Law (CDEL) in Chicago, Illinois.
As a 2015-2016 Borchard Fellow, Stephanie will continue her work at CDEL, advocating for low-income seniors in housing matters, including eviction defense, public housing voucher termination defense, and representing seniors evicting tenants or family members from their homes. By prioritizing time-sensitive housing cases and conducting expedited intake interviews, she can continue to intervene in emergency housing cases. She will continue to administer the Pro Se Guardianship Help Desk, which provides assistance to petitioners seeking guardianship over family members.
Stephanie began interning with CDEL during her first year of law school. In addition to her work with CDEL, during law school she also interned at Chicago Legal Clinic, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, Illinois Legal Aid Online, the Chicago-Kent Law Offices and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
In law school, Stephanie earned certificates in Public Interest Law and Labor and Employment Law. She was also awarded the Dean's Distinguished Public Service Award. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and a paralegal certificate at Oakland University and a Master of Arts in Medieval History and Early Modern History at Loyola University Chicago.
