California Western School of Law
Charity A. Lazzari $2500
After graduating from Chapman University, Charity interned for then-First Lady Hillary Clinton. Her experiences in Washington, DC, sparked a deep interest in politics and advocacy work, particularly on behalf of children. She has worked on a variety of political campaigns, for the Anti-Defamation League, and for the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Auxiliary Organization. She is now pursuing a M.S.W. at San Diego State University along with her J.D. and plans to use both degrees to represent children in dependency court.

Porsha-Shaf'on Venable $2500

Growing up in the Bronx, Porsha experienced firsthand the challenges facing low-income communities of color and developed a strong sense of social justice. After graduating from the State University of New York at Buffalo and earning an M.S.W. from New York University, Porsha worked as a social worker with Bronx Defenders, helping clients navigate government bureaucracies and working alongside attorneys. With the perspective she has gained as a social worker and substance abuse counselor, Porsha aspires to serve her community as a public defender.

Golden Gate University School of Law
Jon Golinger $5000
After graduating from Boston University, Jon spent sixteen years as a grassroots political organizer, advocate, and public interest campaign manager. For most of the 1990s, he worked on behalf of environmental, good government, and consumer protection causes with CALPIRG. More recently, he has worked as a political consultant in San Francisco. A past state appellate court extern and the incoming editor in chief of the Golden Gate University Law Review, Jon intends to work as a public interest lawyer dedicated to environmental and consumer protection issues.

Loyola Law School
Veronica Brin Yuspraikh Aragon $2500
The daughter of Russian immigrants who fled political and religious persecution, Veronica developed a deep commitment to public service at a young age. After graduating from New York University, she worked for a Spanish language public radio station and on a sustainability project for an indigenious community in Chiapas, Mexico. In law school, Veronica founded the Loyola National Lawyers Guild chapter and has worked at the Wage Justice Center. This past summer Veronica externed with an Argentine federal judge, focusing primarily on human rights abuse cases.

Maria Lucinda Garcia $2500

An internship with the Fund for Global Human Rights solidified Maria's drive to attend law school and, ultimately, to pursue a career promoting and protecting human rights. In law school, Maria has interned with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles' Housing and Eviction Defense Unit and the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice, mentored first-year law students, and been active in the Latino community. A graduate of UCLA, Maria is fluent in Spanish.

Justin Jones Rodriguez $7500 — Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP Scholar

After graduating from University of La Verne, Justin spent six years as a speech, debate, and forensics teacher in Southern California public schools. As the Debate Director of the Southern California Debate League, Justin led efforts to enable low-income students to participate in debate competitions; he also created a competitive debating program and taught communications courses at Loyola Marymount University. Committed to advancing the civil rights of the LGBT community, Justin spent this past summer as an intern at Lambda Legal.

Southwestern Law School
Karen Wallace $2500
As a UC Berkeley undergraduate, Karen was involved with efforts to increase access to college for Native American students. She decided to pursue a career in education and, after obtaining both an M.A. in Native American Studies and a Ph.D. in English from UCLA, taught at the college, high school, and middle school levels, developing an interest in underserved populations. Convinced that she could make more significant change through law than in the classroom, Karen enrolled in law school, where she has interned at the Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney, the Exeuctive Office of Immigration Review, and Mental Health Advocacy Services.

Stanford Law School
Alvaro M. Huerta $7500 — Seyfarth Shaw Scholar
After graduating from Yale University, Alvaro spent three years working at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. In law school, Alvaro has served on the board of Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, been the Managing Editor of the Stanford Journal of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, and externed for the Honorable S. James Otero of the Central District of California. He spent the summer of 2008 as a legal intern at Migrant Rights International in Buenos Aires.

Alexandra Lampert $2500

After graduating from UCLA, Alexandra spent a year as a Judicial Administration Fellow, an experience that caused her to come to terms with a relative's mental illness, inspired her to work with the mentally ill in the criminal justice system, and led to a subsequent position coordinating collaborative justice programs at the San Francisco Superior Court. In law school, Alexandra has continued this work with Stanford's Social Security and Disability Project and as a research assistant for the Criminal Justice Center.

Esther Pun $5000

Esther's interest in human rights began at a young age, when as a six-year-old girl in Hong Kong she attended rallies protesting the Chinese government's actions in Tianamen Square. After graduating from UC Berkeley, Esther interned with Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. At Stanford, Esther has continued her human rights work at the Legal Assistance Center in Namibia and through her work with the Domestic Violence Pro Bono Program. Esther also has master's degrees in English literature and education from UC Davis.

Nina Robertson $2500

After graduating from Stanford University, Nina was a Fulbright scholar in Bolivia studying land management and water conservation. She then worked for the World Bank in Washington, DC, and as a human rights research fellow in India and Thailand. She is now pursuing an M.P.A. Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs along with a J.D. from Stanford Law School. Nina has interned at Earthjustice and the Natural Resources Defense Council and intends to work in environmental law and advocacy.

Joanna Shalleck-Klein $7500 — Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP Scholar

A native of East Palo Alto, Joanna is committed to using her law degree to address the systemic causes of poverty. As an undergraduate at Wesleyan University, Joanna worked for NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund and Women Empowered Against Violence. After graduation, she worked as a welfare advocate at the Urban Justice Center, advocating for low-income New Yorkers with psychiatric disabilities. As a law student, Joanna has worked with the New York Civil Liberties Union, Neighborhood Defenders Service of Harlem, and the Stanford Community Law Clinic.

University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall)
Sonia Rachael Marie Farber $7500 — Milstein, Adleman & Kreger Scholar
Sonia came to law school focused on human rights law and women's issues, particularly the impact of armed conflict on women. At Boalt, she has worked with the California Asylum Representation Clinic, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. While at Claremont McKenna College, Sonia was a fellow for the University of Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, studied in Argentina, and interned at the Assembly of European Regions in France. After college, Sonia was a paralegal at the U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division.

Sarah Chilim Ihn $7500 — Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. Scholar

Sarah intends to pursue a career as a public defender. Growing up as an immigrant, minority woman in a working-class community, she learned the importance of compassionate and committed advocacy. Her interest in indigent criminal defense has grown in law school, where she has worked for the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, the East Bay Community Law Center, and the Alameda County Public Defender's Office. A Stanford graduate, Sarah worked at the James Irvine Foundation and Little Tokyo Service Center prior to law school

Rebecca Nichols $2500

After her graduation from Yale University, Rebecca spent three years working in Ecuador for various policy and human rights organizations, focusing on issues of refugee policy, democratic reform, and economic development. In law school, Rebecca has worked with the East Bay Community Law Center, the California Asylum Representation Clinic, and other local public interest organizations. She is the articles editor of the Berkeley Journal of International Law.

Samuel Weiner $2500

Originally an aspiring journalist, Samuel took an investigative journalism course that led him to work on two wrongful conviction cases. Moved by the stories of these men and their lack of access to competent defense counsel, Samuel volunteered at the Center on Wrongful Convictions and the Innocence Project and set off on a new career path in law. After graduating from Northwestern University, he worked at the Prison Law Office, assisting on prisoners' rights class action law suits. In law school, Samuel has interned at the California Appellate Project and taught street law at the Alameda County Juvenile Hall.

University of California, Davis, School of Law (King Hall)
Christina Ahn $2500
Christina's commitment to a career in public service was sparked by an experience mentoring a 14-year-old girl whose father was in prison and witnessing the negative effects of the father's incarceration on the girl's life. This commitment was solidified when Christina interned for a federal judge and witnessed his ability to positively influence the young adults before him. A member of the UC Davis Law Review, Christina hopes to work in the juvenile justice system, ultimately as a judge. After graduating from UC Santa Barbara, she worked for the California Department of Finance.

Rebecca Rabovsky $2500

With extensive experience assisting youth in low-income communities, Rebecca intends to be a legal aid attorney providing direct services. As an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, Rebecca was a volunteer tutor at a public school in Oakland, and after graduation she worked as an independent studies instructor with the Making Waves Education Foundation. While in law school, Rebecca has volunteered with the Public Interest Clearinghouse, the Sacramento County Public Defender's Office, and at the Volunteer Legal Services Program Employment Law Clinic.

John Tan $5000

Although he originally intended to be a teacher or a public health professional, volunteer work at the Chinatown Service Center Youth Center enlightened John on the power of a legal education and the advocacy and other tools with which it would equip him to address the many public health issues he saw facing the community. John attended USC for his undergraduate work and received an M.P.H. and a master's degree in Asian American studies at UCLA. In law school, he has continued his focus on health policy with his work at Health Rights Hotline/Legal Services of Northern California.

University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law
Jacqueline Dan $5000
As the daughter of Vietnamese refugees who faced violence and exploitation as low-wage workers in the United States, Jacqueline has been committed to empowering the Vietnamese community, particularly Vietnamese youth. While at Rice University, she founded the College Leadership Workshop to encourage at-risk Asian American students to pursue higher education, organized workshops on hate crimes, and interned with the National Education Association. In law school, Jacqueline has worked at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project, and the National Immigration Law Center.

Katherine Ojeda Stewart $5000

An internship with La Raza Centro Legal helping undocumented day laborers while she pursued a graduate degree in ethnic studies at San Francisco State University led Katherine to apply to law school, with the goal of using the law as a tool for social justice. A graduate of Ohio State University, she has vounteered with the Prisoner Re-Entry Clinic, the Worker's Center for Racial Justice, the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law, and the Federal Public Defender's Office. Katherine intends to work as a public interest lawyer advocating on behalf of currently or formerly incarcerated parents.

Alicia Virani $5000

Pursuing both a law degree and a master's in urban planning, Alicia plans to launch a juvenile justice organization dedicated to developing sentencing alternatives to prison for youth. A graduate of Vassar College, Alicia was a Youth Development Specialist at an alternative high school, working with immigrant students. In law school, she has co-founded the Teen Court clinic, a collaboration between UCLA School of Law and Venice High School. She has also worked at the National Lawyers Guild, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the Alliance for Children's Rights.

University of San Francisco Law School
Michael Romero Cagampan $2500
With extensive experience as a social worker, primarily advocating on behalf of foster children and foster parents, Michael aspires to work as a public defender. After graduating from UCLA, Michael participated in AmeriCorps and then obtained an M.S.W. from UC Berkeley. Prior to law school, he was a social worker with Family Builders by Adoption, Alternative Family Services, and the San Francisco Public Defender's Office. As a law student, he has interned in the Office of the State Public Defender and the Alameda County Public Defender's Office.

Krista Henneman $2500

Viewing criminal defense as an opportunity to both change the life of the individual client and address larger societal problems, Krista is deeply committed to becoming a public defender. In law school, she has spent two summers at the San Francisco Public Defender's Office, served as president of the Women's Law Association and of Law Students for Reproductive Justice, and will participate in USF's Criminal and Juvenile Justice Clinic. After graduating from Boston College, Krista worked for a marketing firm in Boston.

Jessica Hewins $5000

While an undergraduate at UC San Diego, Jessica devoted much of her time to community service activities, including volunteering at the Oceanside Women's Resource Center, participating in beach cleanups, and assisting at homeless shelters. In law school, her commitment to public service work has expanded, with volunteer experiences with the Surfrider Foundation, the Orleans Public Defender in New Orleans, the Disability Rights Legal Center, and California Rural Legal Assistance.

Matthew Watts $2500

After volunteering with a missionary organization in Northern Thailand following his graduation from USC, Matthew made a drastic change in his career goals, abandoning longstanding plans to work in aerospace engineering and embracing aspirations of becoming a public interest attorney. Realizing the ability of lawyers to work as advocates for victims of exploitation, like many of the young Thai girls he witnessed, Matthew plans to use his law degree to focus on children's issues. In law school, he has conducted surveys for California Rural Legal Assistance and performed client intake for a free legal clinic in Los Angeles.

University of the Pacific McGeorge Law School
Alec Levine $5000
$5,000 Overcoming significant academic struggles, Alec successfully graduated from UC Davis and entered law school focused on the goal of becoming a public defender. At McGeorge, Alec has worked during the school year as well as the summer at the Yolo County Public Defender's Office. Alec is also an editor of the McGeorge Law Review and has been an active member of the McGeorge Public Legal Services Society, helping raise funds to support public interest summer internships for law students.

Whittier Law School
Alison Flowers $7500 — Jim Pfeiffer Scholar
A graduate of the University of California, Riverside, Alison volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club and was an HIV/AIDS Awareness peer counselor. At Whittier, she has been a student advocate in the Los Padrinos Advocacy Program, a U.S. Department of Justice-mandated program through which she visits the Los Padrinos Juvenile Detention Center and interviews incarcerated youth to determine if their educational and health needs are being met. She has interned in the Gang Unit of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and at the Legal Aid Society of Orange County, assisting low-income individuals in civil matters.