NEW YORK—Public interest fellowship awards reached an all-time high at Ford-ham University School of Law this year, with a record six graduates receiving placements in nationally renowned programs—demonstrating both their commitment to service and academic excellence.
“This achievement is a testament to the fellowship recipient’s outstanding academic records and their deep commitment to service,” said William M. Treanor, J.D., dean of Fordham University School of Law. “It is, at the same time, only the most recent manifestation of the high character and moral sensibility of the students who have walked the halls of Fordham Law for the last century.”
The record number of placements may be directly attributed to the establishment of a faculty committee, headed by Professor Brian Glick, J.D., to promote the placement of students in public interest fellowship programs. Approximately 100 fellowships are awarded nationwide each year.
The fellowships generally enable a recent law school graduate to spend two years doing a specific project for a nonprofit public interest law center or program. The fellows receive salary and benefits plus loan repayment and the opportunity to network with other awardees. Following is a list of graduates and their fellowships:
Afua Atta-Mensah received a Soros Community Fellowship to work at Harlem Tenants Council assisting seniors facing eviction due to gentrification.
Aya Fujimura-Fanselow received a Georgetown Law School Fellowship to work at Bread for Life in Washington, D.C. where she assists domestic violence victims.
Alycia Guichard received a Georgetown Law School Fellowship to train law students to teach Street Law in Washington, D.C., high schools and community settings.
Leena Khandwala received a New Voices Fellowship to represent women seeking asylum for gender-based persecution through the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies.
Esther Limb received an Equal Justice Works Fellowship to work at the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center in northern Virginia to assist Korean victims of domestic violence in Northern Virginia.
Jeanne Martin received a Skadden Fellowship to work on the Educational Advocacy Project at the Legal Aid Society of New York City.
Fordham University School of Law was founded in 1905, and has more than 14,000 alumni practicing in all 50 states and throughout the world. Over the past 20 years, Fordham Law School has secured a place as a national leader in public interest law, legal ethics and human rights law.
