Annual Gala
$110,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED TO LATINO LAW STUDENTS BY MABF
Scholarships totaling $110,000 were awarded to 22 young men and women of Latino heritage at the Annual Scholarship & Awards Gala of the Mexican American Bar Foundation. The event, which was attended by 320 guests, was held on Saturday, June 12, 2010, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. Scholarship winners included: Caroline Castañeda, Jacquelyn N. Garcia, Denisse O. Gastélum, Joseph Iniguez, Johanna Robles, and Zairel Ruiz (Loyola); Sasha Moreno (Pepperdine); Yvonne Garcia, Leslie Reyes, Enrique Rodriguez, Cynthia Valdez, Jessica Verano, and Nicole Vongchanglor (Southwestern); Lisa M. Alarcón, Jeremy Anthony Avila, Matthew J. Barragan, Margaret Buitrago, Francis Guzman, Brenda Montes, and Leticia Ramirez (UCLA); and Berta Alicia Hernandez and José R. Rodriguez (USC).
The mission of the Foundation – a Section 501(c)(3) charitable corporation organized by volunteer lawyers and judges affiliated with the Mexican American Bar Association – is to support the hopes and dreams of young men and women of Latino heritage who are pursuing careers in the law. We operate without full-time staff or permanent overhead. Except for the direct costs of the Gala, more than 90 cents of every dollar raised is dedicated to scholarships. Since 1991, over $750,000 has been awarded in the form of 238 scholarships to 198 individual law students. Scholars are selected based on academic achievement, community service, leadership, success in overcoming hardships, and financial need. Most are the sons and daughters of low-income immigrants. Typically, they are the first members of their families to attend college, and of course, professional school.
As recently as 1998, the organization awarded a total of just $6,000 to six students. The whopping 1,800% increase in scholarship awards over the last decade is due to the increased commitment of law firms and corporate law departments to diversifying the profession. MABF assists law students attending ABA-accredited law schools in Los Angeles County, including Loyola, Pepperdine, Southwestern, UCLA, and USC.
Several scholarships were awarded in the names of special partners of the Foundation, including Walmart Stores Inc., our premier sponsor; Antonia Hernandez and Judge Michael Stern Family; and the Latino Prosecutors Foundation, plus the following Gala Co-Sponsors: Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP; Greenberg Traurig LLP; O’Melveny & Myers LLP; Sidley & Austin LLP; Verizon Wireless; and White & Case LLP.
Helping the Foundation replenish its scholarship fund were Hon. Arthur L. Alarcón of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, who was named Precursor de Justicia/Pioneer for Justice; Molly Munger and Stephen R. English of English Munger & Rice and The Advancement Project, who shared the Professional Achievement Award; and Verizon Wireless, winner of the Inaugural Corporate Diversity Award, which was accepted by Steven E. Zipperstein, Vice President – External and Legal Affairs, and Luis Cruz, Southern California Region President.
For more information, contact either Gala Director Christopher David Ruiz Cameron at (213) 738-6749 and ccameron@swlaw.edu, or President Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha at (213) 620-7723 and faenlle-rocha@whitecase.com.
