Four students have been selected to serve as Public Service Scholars with the William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law for the 2016-17 academic year.
The University of Texas School of Law awards scholarships each year to a group of outstanding students who demonstrate a commitment to studying, promoting and working in public service. The scholars receive a scholarship and work closely with the Justice Center on public service initiatives.
“We look forward to working with these outstanding student leaders and are impressed by their dedication to serving the public,” said Eden Harrington, director of the Justice Center.
Meet the scholars:
Reema Ali, ’18, is a co-director of GRITS (the Getting Radical in the South conference), outreach chair for the Public Interest Law Association, and a leadership team member for the 2017 Pro Bono in January winter break trip and the Texas Law INCLUDE Project, a pro bono initiative that counsels families about alternatives to guardianship. She is participating in the Immigration Clinic, and has interned with Disability Rights Texas, the Equal Justice Center, and the Children’s Defense Fund, all in Austin.
Briana Perez, ’17, is secretary of the Chicano/Hispanic Law Students’ Association and a Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice Scholar. She has participated in the Immigration Clinic and the Human Rights Clinic, and has interned with the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project in New York, the Texas Civil Rights Project in Austin, and the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund (MALDEF) in San Antonio. Before coming to law school she interned with the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) in San Antonio. She has completed 122 pro bono hours to date.
Eva Sikes, ’18, is vice president of events for If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice and is active in the American Constitution Society, Public Interest Law Association, and National Lawyers Guild. Last summer she interned with Texas Appleseed in Austin. Last year she volunteered at SafePlace, assisting its attorneys to address Class C misdemeanor tickets of survivors of domestic violence. Before coming to law school, she was the legal manager for the Texas Civil Rights Project in Austin.
Kendall Williams, ’18, is president of the Texas Law chapter of the American Constitution Society, vice president of the Thurgood Marshall Legal Society, and a board member of Texas Law Fellowships and the Equal Justice Works National Advisory Committee. Last summer she interned with the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. She is currently participating in the Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic. Last year she volunteered on several pro bono projects and interned with the Center for Women in Law.