Five students have been selected as Public Service Scholars to work with the William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law for the 2021-22 academic year. Texas Law awards these scholarships annually to a group of outstanding students who demonstrate a commitment to studying, promoting, and working in public service. The scholars work closely with the Justice Center on public service initiatives.
“We look forward to working with these outstanding students,” said Eden Harrington, director of the Justice Center. “They are committed to supporting public service, and the law school community will benefit from their involvement in the Justice Center’s student advisory board.”
Meet the 2021-22 Public Service Scholars:
Samantha Acuña ’22 is a student ambassador with the Admissions Office and is involved in the Chicano/Hispanic Law Students Association. She has participated in the Transnational Workers Rights Clinic and the Immigration Clinic, and volunteered to assist residents of the Texas Rio Grande Valley as part of Pro Bono in January, the Mithoff Pro Bono Program’s annual winter break service trip. She spent the summer after her 1L year working with the ACLU of Texas and the summer after her 2L year working with the University of Texas System in Austin.
Emily Bloom ’22 has participated in the Capital Punishment Clinic, Criminal Defense Clinic, and a variety of pro bono projects. She spent the summer after her 1L year working with the Office of Capital and Forensic Writs in Austin and the summer after her 2L year working with the Burnet County Public Defender in Burnet, Texas. She has interned with the Lone Star Justice Alliance in Austin preparing state habeas applications for juveniles and worked for two Austin-area law firms – Sween Law, where she helped prepare state habeas applications, and Mark Morales & Associates, where she helped prepare parole packets.
Luke Freedman ’23 is a board member of the Public Interest Law Association, serves as a Mithoff Pro Bono Scholar for the Driver’s License Recovery Project, and helped organize Change It Up! 2021. He spent the summer after his 1L year interning with the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights in Washington, D.C. and with the State of New Mexico Law Offices of the Public Defender in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Evan Snyder ’23 is involved in the Public Interest Law Association and the Human Rights Law Society. He is a Student Ambassador for the Admissions Office, serves as a Mithoff Pro Bono Scholar for the INCLUDE disability law project, and is participating in the Capital Punishment Clinic. He spent the summer after his 1L year working with Disability Rights Texas in Austin.
Adarsh Parthasarathy ’23 is president of the Public Interest Law Association and outreach coordinator for the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association. He serves as a Mithoff Pro Bono Scholar on the Supported Decision-Making Project and is participating in the Capital Punishment Clinic. He spent the summer after his 1L year working with Disability Rights Texas in Austin.