The San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association (SDLRLA) recently announced six graduating law students from Thomas Jefferson School of Law as recipients of the newly inaugurated 2011 SDLRLA Scholarship Fund Bar Stipend.
Danaly Barajas, Oscar Gonzalez, Erika Mallorquín, Romina Otoya, Emily Wietzel and Andre Zakari will each received $500-$1000 in financial assistance to help defray the cost of taking the July 2011 or February 2012 California Bar Exam. Each student was selected based on his or her significant contributions to the Latino community, leadership and academic achievement.
Each year, Thomas Jefferson students engage in a wide variety of challenging public interest legal work on behalf of needy individuals from the local Latino community. Danaly Barajas, who served as President of TJSL’s La Raza Law Students Organization in 2010-2011, devoted significant legal work at the San Diego County Office of the Public Defender, using her Spanish fluency to advocate for immigrant clients in the criminal justice system. Other honorees contributed countless volunteer hours at local agencies, including the Employee Rights Center, Casa Cornelia Law Center, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and Family Law Facilitator’s Office, providing legal services to underserved communities and Latinos.
“It is gratifying to see some of our top law students honored for their outstanding pro bono service and leadership abilities,” said Dovie Yoana King, Associate Director of Career Services. “In addition to their legal advocacy on behalf of Latinos and the immigrant community, these students participated in rigorous extracurricular activities, such as Moot Court, Alternative Dispute Resolution, the Public Interest Law Foundation, Criminal Law Society and more.”
SDLRA President, Eran Bermudez, remarked, “La Raza Lawyers was very impressed with all the recipients of the California Bar Exam scholarships. We applaud the scholarship recipients from TJSL and we hope that they continue to be a part of San Diego La Raza Lawyers as they move forward in their careers.” She added, “We wish them much success and luck as they prepare to take the California Bar exam this summer!”
SDLRLA Scholarship winners will be recognized later this month by SDLRLA. Please take a moment to congratulate the 2011 Bar Stipend recipients!
