Summer is fast approaching and as students begin to secure summer positions in the public interest field, the age old question keeps arising: “how do I fund this?” This week at PSJD we are focusing on one of the many summer funding opportunities we have up on the site. If you have a great unpaid opportunity and can’t figure out how to fund your summer, this scholarship may be the answer! In addition to this opportunity, check out the other national and regional funding opportunities up on PSJD.
The Organization
In celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the establishment of the HNBA’s LGBT Section, the HNBA LGBT Division announced the launch of the LGBT Division Public Interest Scholarship Program at the 2018 Corporate Counsel Conference in San Francisco, CA. Applications are now open!
“The leadership displayed by LGBT Division Chair Raquel Matas in establishing this scholarship exemplifies this year’s theme of ‘Vision in Action’,” stated HNBA National President Erica V. Mason. “In less than 6 months, we were able to take the idea for the scholarship program from concept to fully-funded for the 2018 scholarship year, demonstrating, once again, what we can accomplish when we are all working towards a common goal. Thank you to everyone who worked tirelessly to create and fund this program in such a short period of time, and to all that have contributed thus far. This scholarship is a wonderful way to commemorate the LGBT Division’s 10th Anniversary, and represents an important step in the Division’s legacy of promoting the advancement of Latinx LGBTQ lawyers and advocacy on behalf of the Latinx LGBTQ Community. I encourage our members to contribute to this fund!”
About the Division: The mission of the HNBA LGBT Division is to monitor and ADVOCATEfor legal issues affecting the Hispanic LGBT community; EDUCATE the HNBA and others on legal issues facing the Hispanic LGBT community; and PROMOTE the expertise, advancement, and empowerment of Hispanic LGBT legal professionals. In addition to programming and Division meetings through the year, in conjunction with the HNBA Corporate Counsel Conference or Annual Convention each year, the Division hosts its Annual LGBT Division Latinx Legal Professionals Summit. The purpose of the Summit is to: (i) discuss issues of concern within the Latinx LGBT legal professional community and broader community; and (ii) develop advocacy strategies to address them.
The Scholarship
This scholarship will provide up to $5000.00 in financial assistance to law students or recent law school graduates who are or will become members of the HNBA, and who will be performing public interest work (advocacy, policy, and/or direct legal services) with a direct impact on Latinx LGBTQ individuals during their 2018 Summer (current law students) or 2018 Summer/Fall (recent law grads).
It is the goal of the LGBT Division Scholarship Program that scholarship recipients attend the Annual LGBT Latinx Legal Professionals Summit and contribute substantively by reporting on the work in which they were engaged during the summer and/or fall, respectively.
One or more scholarships of up to $5000 each will be awarded annually, beginning in 2018, subject to the availability of funds and the recommendation of the Division’s Scholarship Committee.
The Criteria
To be eligible, the applicant must:
(i) be either a first, second or third year law student in good standing in an ABA accredited law school, or a recent law graduate (having received the degree within 12 months of the application date);
(ii) have secured an internship or placement for Summer 2018 (which can extend beyond the Summer) or the fall of 2018 (for a recent law graduate) with a public interest organization engaged in legal, advocacy, or policy work with a direct impact on Latinx LGBTQ individuals.