Denia Perez graduated from Quinnipiac University School of Law on Sunday. First thing Monday morning, she headed to Hartford, Connecticut, on a mission to advocate for a change that might allow her to work as a lawyer.

Perez has the law degree, but unless jurists amend a Connecticut Practice Book rule that requires bar applicants to be U.S. citizens or aliens lawfully residing in the U.S., she will never be allowed to practice in the state.