AILA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Law School Scholarships

Congratulations to the AILA law student members who were awarded the 2022 AILA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Law Student Scholarship. AILA’s DEI Law Student Scholarship is intended to provide academic, professional, and financial support to law students from historically underrepresented groups who are interested in the practice of immigration law and advocating on behalf of immigrant communities.

Alejandro Alvarado University of New Mexico School of Law Woorod Atiyat Pace University Law School Elly Marisol Estrada Cruz Syracuse University College of Law Taylor Flores Golden Gate University School of Law Gerardo Villegas Juarez St. Mary's University School of Law

Melissa McElroy University of Colorado School of Law Maria J Montenegro-Bernardo Pace University Elisabeth Haub School of Law Brenda Carolina Quintanilla UC Davis School of Law Anda Totoreanu Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law Anthony Wong University of San Francisco School of Law

AILA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Law Student Scholarship is intended to provide academic, professional, and financial support to law students from historically underrepresented groups who are interested in the practice of immigration law and advocating on behalf of immigrant communities. Recipients selected to receive the scholarship will build professional connections and receive mentorship support from AILA member attorneys who are also members of AILA’s DEI National Committee.

AILA’s DEI Mission Statement

AILA’s DEI Committee is charged with promoting full and equal participation of all AILA members in chapters, committees, and groups. This includes lawyers of varying genders, national origins, racial and ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientation and gender identity, religious beliefs, age, marital status, geographic location, and lawyers with disabilities. The committee also works to expand the diversity of access to leadership opportunities and to ensure that the immigration bar reflects the society it serves.

Important Dates

Scholarship Opening Date: Monday, October 3, 2022
Application Deadline: Monday, October 31, 2022
Awards Announcements: Friday, November 18, 2022

Award Details

Recipients of DEI Law Student Scholarships receive:

• $750 to be used toward tuition or related academic expenses
• Free access to the following:
  
  • AILA Fundamentals of Immigration Law Online Course
  • Intro to Prosecutorial Discretion
  • Crafting a Winning Direct Examination: Practical Tips and Examples
  • Before you Meet Your Removal Client: NTA, Form I-213, and DHS Charges
  • AC22 Recording Session: Truth to Power
• Recognition as Law Student Scholarship Award Recipients by AILA’s DEI Committee through AILA emails, newsletters, the AILA website, and AILA DEI Committee correspondence
• Recognition honoring the recipients’ achievements sent to their law school
• Opportunity for professional career development in immigration law by publishing a blog post on an immigration-related topic as part of the Think Immigration blog’s DEI series, which reaches an audience of 16,000+ AILA members (see details in final requirement below)

Scholarship Applicant Criteria

• Applicants must be AILA Law Student Members and provide their AILA member number (*AILA membership is free for law students! Not a member? Join now!)
• Applicants must be currently enrolled in law school and be a student in good standing (part-time and full-time students included)
• Applicants should be a member of a diverse and/or underrepresented group including diversity based on but not limited to race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, education, ability, immigration status, and other factors including those listed in AILA’s DEI Mission Statement (see above)
• Applicants must provide a current unofficial law school transcript
• Applicants must provide a one-page personal statement of no more than 500 words addressing:
  
  • Their interest and work in immigration law including clubs, internships, law school clinics, work experience, community service, and/or extracurricular activities
  • Description of their financial need and how the funds are intended to be used (be as specific as possible)
  • Description of any diversity, equity, and inclusion obstacles they have faced
  • Description of their plans to pursue advocacy in immigration law
• Selected recipients must agree to submit a blog post for AILA’s Think Immigration blog DEI series (approximately 200–300 words) on a topic of their choice. For inspiration, check out the AILA DEI Committee’s 21-Day Racial Equity Invitation, which provides several potential themes, resources, and lessons on the role of structural racism within immigration law and policy.

Cite as AILA Doc. No. 19052235.