The Justice & Diversity Center’s Bay Area Minority Law Student Scholarship program demonstrates JDC’s commitment to advancing diversity in the legal profession. The program awards diverse first year Bay Area law students with a $30,000 scholarship, over three years, based on financial need, academic achievement and overcoming adversity. Since its inception in 1998, 93 scholarships and $1.7 million have been awarded.

This month Edelmira Diaz, a 2011-2014 Bay Area Minority Law Student Scholarship recipient, updates us on being an attorney:

“I graduated from UC Hastings College of the Law in May of 2014. I sat for and passed the July 2014 administration of the California Bar Exam. I started as a post-bar clerk at the Marin County Public Defender’s Office and was given the opportunity to be a Deputy Public Defender as an Extra-Hire. I was a trial attorney on the misdemeanor team until recently, handling my own caseload from intakes to trial.

Recently, I accepted a position at the Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County where I will be a staff attorney on the Coordinated Attorney Team. My main focus will be on re-entry, but I will also have the opportunity to help clients with civil matters.

As a first generation college graduate and a former social worker, BASF/JDC has been vital to my progress and success as an attorney. Not just with the financial support of the scholarship, but with networking opportunities and encouragement to pursue my dreams.”