The Foundation recognizes one of its top scholars with a named scholarship. We sincerely thank Sheppard Mullin for its generous support of the Rosenthal Bar Exam Scholarship Program.

Alicia Virani, UCLA School of Law
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton Scholar

Golden Gate University School of Law
Nicole Edwards-Masuda*
Nicole was inspired to pursue a career in law after witnessing a family member struggle in an abusive relationship. Law school has taught her how attorneys can create social change by working with individual clients and by developing innovative policies to address issues like gender violence, poverty, and racism. After graduating from the University of Hawaii at Manao, Nicole supervised a youth program for survivors of domestic violence and, in law schol, interned at JusticeNow and the Family Violence Law Center. She hopes to work in the field of domestic violence law.

Loyola Law School
Veronica Brin Yuspraikh Aragon*
Veronica came from a poor immigrant family and decided early in life that she would work to improve conditions in her community by becoming a public interest lawyer. As an undergraduate at New York University, she worked for America Reads/America Counts and mentored at-risk youth. In law school, she volunteered at the Wage Justice Center and worked on human rights issues as a legal extern in Argentina and Brussels. Veronica also interned at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center and for Judge Harry Pregerson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Santa Clara University School of Law
Brandon Fields
After graduating from UC Santa Cruz, Brandon worked at a courthouse in his hometown. Seeing childhood acquaintances in trouble with the law, Brandon became detemined to pursue a career as a public defender to help those from his community. In law school, Brandon worked at the Alameda City Attorney's office, the Santa Clara County Public Defender’s Office, and the Office of the State Public Defender. He also taught study skills to first-year law students through the Santa Clara Law Academic Success Program.

Stanford Law School
Michael Caesar
Stanford Law School Michael Caesar Michael is committed to promoting immigrants’ rights and fighting discrimination. After graduating from UC Berkeley, Michael worked at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, taught English in Central America, and managed an immigrants’ rights program at the Equal Rights Center in Washington, DC. In law school, he worked in the Immigration Pro Bono Program, the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, and in the International Human Rights Clinic. After graduation, he will be a Public Interest Fellow at the Impact Fund in Berkeley.

Joelle Emerson*

Joelle's personal experiences navigating the legal system, which were confusing and frustrating, fueled her desire to become a public interest lawyer. A graduate of the University of Southern California, she devoted her efforts in law school to issues of domestic violence, women's rights, and immigrants' rights. She worked at the National Women's Law Center, the Stanford Immigrants' Rights Clinic, and the Stanford Domestic Violence Pro Bono Project. After graduation, Joelle will serve as a law clerk for Judge Keith Ellison, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Maureen Keffer*

Growing up in small-town Pennsylvania, Maureen became interested in the challenges facing the farmworkers in the area. After graduating from Georgetown University, this interest led her to Oaxaca, Mexico, where she spent five years at local nonprofits working on issues of human rights and economic development. She returned to the United States to attend law school and puruse a career in public interest law. Her work at Stanford's Community Law Clinic and with the California Rural Legal Assistance confirmed her desire to advocate for low-income clients as a legal services attorney.

Alexandra Lampert

After graduating from UCLA, Alexandra worked at the San Francisco Superior Court coordinating alternative court programs, including Behavioral Health Court and Drug Court. In law school, she gained valuable work experience in the criminal justice system, interning in public defender's offices, working on appeals in Stanford's Supreme Court litigation clinic, doing research with the Stanford Criminal Justice Center, and volunteering at San Quentin State Prison. After clerking for Judge Diane Wood of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Alexandra intends to pursue a career as a public defender.

University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall)
Tia Katrina Taruc Canlas
The lawyers at Centro Legal de la Raza, where Tia volunteered as a tutor and mentor while an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, inspired her to pursue a career in public interest law. In law school, Tia focused on the intersecting issues of civil rights, immigration, and domestic violence. She worked at the Family Violence Law Center, the International Institute of the Bay Area, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Transgender, Gender Variant, Intersex Justice Project, and San Francisco Women Against Rape. Tia plans to focus on domestic violence law, immigration law, and employment discrimination law.

Lily Harvey

After graduating from Pitzer College, Lily worked for more than seven years in prisons and detention facilities, where she encountered the disparate effects of the criminal justice system on communities of color and the poor. This experience reinforced her commitment to social and criminal justice issues and inspired her to address the systemic issues related to high incarceration rates. In law school, Lily volunteered at San Quentin State Prison and worked at the East Bay Community Law Center, the Vera Institute, and Public Advocates. She intends to pursue a career as a public interest lawyer focusing on criminal justice reform and civil rights law.

University of California, Hastings College of the Law
Amanda Jancu
Amanda entered law school with the goal of working with low-income victims of domestic abuse. In law school, she pursued numerous opportunities to gain valuable experience that would assist her in reaching that goal. She interned at Bay Area Legal Aid, the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office, the Legal Aid Foundation of Angeles, the Cooperative Restraining Order Clinic, and the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office. A graduate of California State University, Los Angeles, Amanda hopes to work with legal services organizations to increase outreach to victims of domestic violence and to provide services to a broader population of victims in need.

University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law
Kenia Acevedo
Coming from a working-class family that emigrated from Central America when she was four, Kenia is committed to helping those in need. Her work experiences with immigrants, transgender individuals, homeless youth, and farm workers inspired her to pursue a career in public interest law. In law school, she worked at the American Civil Liberties Union and California Rural Legal Assistance. A graduate of UCLA and a student in the David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy, Kenia plans to work for a nonprofit organization serving low-income communities of color.

Alicia Virani* Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton Scholar

Alicia's first job after graduating from Vassar College – as a youth development specialist for Queens Community House – spurred her desire to pursue a career in public interest law. In law school, Alicia worked on foster care issues at the Alliance for Children's Rights and in the Juvenile Division of the San Francisco Public Defender's Office. After graduation, she will serve as an Equal Justice Works Fellow with the Center for Restorative Justice, focusing on efforts to divert young women out of the juvenile justice sustem and into restorative justice programs.

University of San Francisco School of Law
Dana Marie Isaac
Dana's desire to pursue a career in public interest law was sparked while she was a student at Middlebury College. In law school, she worked at Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, assisted clients with public benefits claims at Bay Area Legal Aid, volunteered at Valley State Prison for Women, pursued research projects at the Center for Law and Global Justice, and helped Haitian earthquake victim apply for temporary protective status to immigrate to the United States. She also participated in USF's International Human Rights Clinic, which enabled her to travel to Geneva, Switzerland, and participate in discussions with the UN Human Rights Counsel.

University of Southern California Gould School of Law
Maisha D. Jamerson
A graduate of Rutgers University, Maisha entered law school with significant experience as the owner of a nonprofit conulting firm and as a coordinator with the Service Employees International Union. In law school, Maisha clerked for the California Teachers Association, volunteered with USC's Public Interest Law Foundation on mental health advocacy projects, co-founded the Legal Ambassasors Program, and worked for a private public interest law firm. After law school, Maisha plans to pursue a public interest law career focused on employment law.

Matthew C. Watts

Five years ago, Matthew was a structural engineer with an aerospace company. A month volunteering at orphanages in Northern Thailand, during which he was drawn to the ability of lawyers to advocate on behalf of victims of exploitation, inspired him to change career paths and apply to law school. In law school, Matthew interned at the Children's Law Center of Los Angeles, International Justice Mission in the Philippines, and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles. A graduate of USC, Matthew plans to pursue a career in criminal prosecution and further his commitment to serving vulnerable children.

* Received a $2,000 cash award in addition to a California BARBRI Bar Review course.