2024 Public-Service Program Award Luncheon Program

Thursday, April 18th, 2024

OPENING AND INTRODUCTION

Michelle Takagishi-Almeida, Director, Public-Service Program

SOUTHWESTERN WELCOME

Darby Dickerson

President and Dean of Southwestern Law School

GEORGE AND KATRINA WOOLVERTON PUBLIC-SERVICE

AWARD PRESENTATION

Julia Vazquez

Director of Community Lawyering Clinic and Director of PublicInterest Law Concentration

WOOLVERTON FAMILY PUBLIC-INTEREST

AWARD PRESENTATION

Andrea Ramos

Director of Clinical Programs and Immigration Law Clinic

SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC-INTEREST LAW SERVICE

AWARD PRESENTATION

Julia Vazquez

Director of Community Lawyering Clinic and Director of PublicInterest Law Concentration

STUDENT ORGANIZATION VOLUNTEER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD PRESENTATION

Jennifer Alvarez

Co-Chair, Public-Interest Law Committee

Sarah Kreager

Co-Chair, Public-Interest Law Committee

Public-Interest Law Faculty Committee

Through Southwestern’s Public-Service Program Award Luncheon, the Public-Interest Law Faculty Committee honors those students from each year's graduating class with a demonstrated dedication to public-interest law activities or career practice.

The Public-Service Program Award Luncheon also aims to cultivate a commitment to pro bono and public-service in the wider Southwestern student body by recognizing students who fulfill their Public-Service Pledge of completing a minimum of 75 hours of law-related service by graduation.

Public-Interest Law Committee

Southwestern’s Public-Interest Law Committee’s mission is to help create a community where Southwestern students are educated and incentivized to participate in issues concerning and advancing the public-interest. Each year, the student-led Public-Interest Law Committee focuses efforts in raising the financial support necessary for those students who wish to spend a summer contributing to the work of public-interest and government agencies providing legal services and representation for underserved communities across California.

George & Katrina Woolverton

Made possible through the generosity of Southwestern alumni George Woolverton ‘75 and Katrina Woolverton '02.

Established in 2010, the George and Katrina Woolverton Public-Service Award is given to one graduating student in recognition of demonstrated and extraordinary dedication to public-interest law activities while at Southwestern.

Established in 2017, The Woolverton Family Public-Interest Award honors one graduating student in recognition of exceptional dedication to public-interest law activities while at Southwestern

Carie Martin

GEORGE AND KATRINA WOOLVERTON PUBLIC-SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT

Carie Martin (they/them) is a former healthcare provider, and imminent law school graduate focused on creating healthy, sustainable societies where everyone can thrive. As a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Carie's interests in public-service focus on the intersections and the margins - communities often left out or left behind and those that experience overlapping systemic and institutional oppression. Postgraduation, they hope to continue in Community Economic Development, working on expanding economic access for small business owners, micro-entrepreneurs, and community-serving non-profits, developing community-owned real estate models to help resist gentrification and displacement in culturally significant communities, and building alternative economic systems that meet working-class people's needs

Bianca de la Vega

WOOLVERTON FAMILY PUBLIC-INTEREST AWARD RECIPIENT

Bianca is the daughter of a Filipino immigrant and a first-generation law student. While at Southwestern, Bianca served as Co-Chair of the Public-Interest Law Committee, a fellow in the Moot Court Honors Program, a staffer of Law Review, a Teaching Assistant for Constitutional Criminal Procedure and Torts, an Evidence Research Assistant, and a Dean’s Fellow. Off-campus, Bianca has served as a law clerk for Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County in the Preventing and Ending Homelessness Project, the Federal Public Defender’s Office - Capital Habeas Unit, and Loyola Law School’s Project for the Innocent Following graduation and post-bar studies, Bianca plans to continue supporting indigent clients in their most vulnerable times as a compassionate advocate

Southwestern Public-Interest Law Service Award

Honoring selected graduating students in recognition of an individual's demonstrated and significant dedication to public-interest law activities while at Southwestern.

Bryon Alvarez

SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC-INTEREST LAW SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT

Natalie Diaz

SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC-INTEREST LAW SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT

Natalie Diaz is a proud child of Mexican and Salvadorean immigrants and a firstgeneration law student from the Inland Empire. She is very thankful for everyone who has helped her along her journey to becoming an attorney and is grateful for all of her experiences throughout her time at Southwestern. Those experiences include serving as a student instructor through Southwestern’s Street Law Clinic, as a board member for Southwestern’s Women’s Law Association, as a law clerk for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, and for the Riverside County Public Defender’s Office.

Natalie came to Southwestern with the dream of helping and uplifting individuals in her community and has been able to do so during her time at Southwestern Following the bar exam, Natalie continues on in her journey of learning and dedicated service to her community as a post-bar law clerk with the Children’s Law Center of California.

Karen Herrera

SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC-INTEREST LAW SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT

Karen is a first-generation law student and daughter of Salvadoran immigrants, she grew up in the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles, where most residents, including her family, struggle with immigration and workplace issues. As a law student, she has been engaged in public-interest activities both on and off- campus serving unhoused veterans as a law clerk at Inner City Law Center, in Southwestern’s Eviction Defense Clinic, and most recently, as a Peggy Browning Fund Fellow at the Wage Justice Center assisting day laborers experiencing wage theft. Karen is an active member of the Public-Interest Law Committee, Homelessness Prevention Law Project, Labor and Employment Law Association, and Women’s Law Association. By drawing upon her personal and professional experience, Karen aims to work at the intersection of labor and immigration law to ensure that immigrant communities can achieve the equity and justice they deserve

Mingyu Kong

SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC-INTEREST LAW SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT

Mingyu Kong is a traditional day student, and currently serves as a Lead Articles Editor for the Southwestern Law Review and as an advanced law clerk in the Southwestern’s Community Lawyering Clinic. He is interested in advancing the rights of immigrants, and he plans to practice immigration law after he graduates from law school.

Brenda Martinez Jaurrieta

SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC-INTEREST LAW SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT

Brenda’s aspirations in pursuing a career in public-interest law, specifically in the areas of education and child advocacy, have been shaped by her first-hand experiences as a first-generation student from the Inland Empire. As a student, Brenda has served as a law clerk for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, as a legal volunteer for Inland Counties Legal Services Expungement Clinics, and as a judicial extern to the Honorable Annabelle Cortez at Edelman Children’s Courthouse. In addition to Brenda’s off-campus work, Brenda has held positions as a research and teaching assistant to faculty members, leadership positions with Southwestern’s Women’s Law Association, Advocates for Children’s Rights and was recognized by Southwestern’s Children’s Rights Clinic as a “rising star ” Brenda is invested in giving back to her community and proudly graduates from Southwestern with a PublicInterest Concentration

Ester Mendez

SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC-INTEREST LAW SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT

Ester is a first-generation indigenous woman with roots in Oaxaca, Mexico who has spent most of her life in South Los Angeles. Motivated by her personal experiences with the criminal legal system, she made the courageous decision to pursue a legal education. As a law student, she gained valuable experience as a law clerk for the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office, the Alternate Public Defender's Office, and Loyola’s Project for the Innocent. She also co-founded IMPACT at Southwestern Law School, a student organization providing assistance, mentorship, and networking opportunities to formerly incarcerated law students Ester is dedicated to using her education and experiences to make a difference in the lives of marginalized people. As a passionate advocate for equity and justice, she is committed to representing marginalized communities at the public defender's office, striving to create positive change and inspire others like herself to improve their lives and ensure fair representation for all, including those most vulnerable to mass incarceration.

Zara Mokhtar

SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC-INTEREST LAW SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT

Zara is deeply passionate about public-service law with a keen interest in criminal, human, and civil rights law. Her commitment to public-service has been unwavering throughout her life, starting at age 10 when she visited an orphanage. She has been actively involved in various organizations as a law student, holding leadership positions with Southwestern’s Mass Incarceration Awareness Law Society, Delta Theta Phi, as a Senior Advocate for the Trial Advocacy Honors Program, as a Dean’s Fellow and a twotime Judge Harry Pregerson Public-Service Fellow. Alongside her student leadership roles, Zara has served as a law clerk for the Loyola Project for the Innocent, for the Trial Unit of the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Central District of California, and for the Jails Project with the ACLU of Southern California

Karla Munoz

SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC-INTEREST LAW SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT

JericcaAnne Salazar

SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC-INTEREST LAW SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT

Jericca-Anne Salazar is a proud Filipina-American and first-generation student who earned her B.A. in Business Administration from California State University, Fullerton and spent six years in hospitality management before embarking on her law school journey. She is involved with local and international organizations that combat human trafficking and contribute to the protection of children’s rights. While at Southwestern, she has dedicated her volunteer time as an Education Rights Holder for foster youth and served as a law clerk for the Children’s Law Center of California, Southwestern’s Community Lawyering Clinic, Family Law Clinic and as a judicial extern to the Honorable Judge Amy Pellman of the Family Law Division of the Los Angeles County Superior Court After graduation, Jericca plans to pursue a career in family law practice in Orange County.

Nadia Salcedo

SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC-INTEREST LAW SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT

Nadia is a first-generation law student from Southeast Los Angeles who is always eager to share their opportunities with others. To Nadia, this means bridging systemic gaps in access to legal advocacy. On campus, she has contributed to opportunities for community support such as Southwestern’s Street Law Clinic where she taught high school seniors about various areas of law that would impact them as they transitioned into adulthood and Southwestern’s Community Lawyering Clinic where they prepare immigration petitions and provide legal consultations for California State University, Northridge students in need of legal services Off-campus, they have served as a law clerk with the Collective for Liberatory Lawyering creating legal resources and conducting community trainings for community youth organizations and with Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers, Inc. providing legal defense for caregivers in Dependency Court

Hugo Stern

SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC-INTEREST LAW SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT

Hugo Stern was born in Tokyo, Japan, and moved to California on his own after graduating high school. He made the decision to attend law school to pursue a legal career in the field of criminal justice and reform after being inspired by the George Floyd protests, as well as his own lived experiences with the law as a teenager. At Southwestern, Hugo has served on the board of the Mass Incarceration Awareness Law Society and IMPACT, a newly created student interest organization that advocates for formerly-incarcerated students, and he takes pride in having served as a law clerk and student instructor through Southwestern’s Street Law Clinic providing legal education for youth at the Dorothy Kirby Center. Following bar studies, Hugo continues on in his work with the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office

Student Organization Volunteer Achievement Award

Honoring a student organization who, as a whole, has demonstrated the most significant contribution to public-service activities and engagement both on- and off-campus during the academic year.

Advocates for Children’s Rights

Advocates for Children's Rights (ACR) is dedicated to shedding light on the issues and needs of system-involved children and youth One of ACR's notable initiatives is its involvement with the Judge David S. Wesley LASC Teen Court Program, an early intervention and juvenile diversion program for first-time offenders, which was reinstated at Southwestern Law in Fall 2022 through the efforts of current and former Board Members. Through ACR’s commitment to supporting community efforts in reducing recidivism among youth offenders, active participation in community outreach and education, and in organizing student events with an advocacy focus on children and youth, ACR exemplifies a culture of service, learning, and engagement among the Southwestern Law School community.

There is a Light Foundation Public-Service Cash Prizes

Founded by Southwestern alum Arash Homampour, There Is a Light Foundation Public-Service Cash Prizes are awarded to those graduating students who have compiled a distinguished record of public-service and intend to enter public-service following graduation. Southwestern and There is a Light Foundation hopes these prizes will encourage and inspire students to continue serving others.

Congratulations to the Class of 2024 recipients of There is a Light Foundation Public-Service Cash Prizes.

Bryon Alvarez

Bianca de la Vega

Alejandro Gonzalez

Karen Herrera

Mingyu Kong

Carie Martin

Ester Mendez

Zara Mokhtar

Nadia Salcedo

Philip Schuler

Southwestern’s Public-Service Distinction

Students who perform a minimum of 75 hours of law-related service throughout their law school experience receive special recognition at commencement and have the notation “PublicService Distinction” placed on their law school transcript.

Congratulations to the graduating students who have fulfilled their Public-Service Pledge

Bryon Alvarez

Bianca de la Vega

Natalie Diaz

Alejandro Gonzalez

Mary Hellman

Karen Herrera

Sarah Jane Longalong

Natalie Manoukian

Carie Martin

Brenda Martinez Jaurrieta

Ester Mendez

Zara Mokhtar

Karla Munoz

Diana Perez

Jericca-Anne Salazar

Nadia Salcedo

Rachel Stern

Shara Darden

Harvey L. and Lillian Silbert Fellow

Xthlali Nunez

Harvey L. and Lillian Silbert Fellow

Hector Sanchez

Dean Leigh. H. Taylor Public-Interest Law Fund

Alexandria Alcala

Nathan Barukh

Itzel Burgos

Alexis Cornejo-Peril

Sarah Dean-Gooderham

Bryana Espinoza

Andres Fernandez

Susana Fuentes

Daniel Golub

Vanessa Hernandez

Victoria Huang

Alexandra Kerecman

Nellie Rafaelian

Isel Ramirez

Kimberly Recarte

Melinda Rivas

Nicolas Ruiz

Katie Selko

Bethany Shrove

Jessica Talavera

Paola Velazquez

Jonathan Vergara-Diaz

Isabella Zemshman