The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) of the Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) is proud to announce the 2023 recipients of its Bay Area Minority Law Student Scholarships. Thanks to the generosity of donors, two scholarships will be awarded to minority students attending Bay Area law schools this fall.
This year’s scholarship donors include The Arthur and Charlotte Zitrin Foundation and the Justice and Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco.
On August 23, JDC held an intimate ceremony to congratulate the 2023 scholarship recipients, William Jeffries, USF Law, and Kirk Crump, USF Law.
William Jeffries is a 1L at the University of San Francisco, School of Law. As an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, it was common to hear the phrase “Find your why.” Tracing his pursuit of a legal career to personal challenges he had to overcome, his “Why” was profoundly influenced at the age of 12, by the rapid and non-correctible loss of my eyesight as a side-effect of a blood cancer known as T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (A.L.L.). His experiences with childhood cancer, monotonous waiting rooms, and losing his eyesight, compelled him to take an interest in the perspectives and life experiences of other cancer patients, their families, pediatric nurses, and doctors from a variety of specialized fields.
The life that resulted from embodying these stories and meditating on questions like “Who he is?” and “Who does he want to become?” has been strongly motivated by a deep-seated sense of empathy and infused with a desire to bring positive, impactful change to the lives of those around him. The experiences he passed during this ordeal formed three foundational precepts that guide his personal and professional development to this day; these are: 1) Seek to understand others’ experiences from their perspective; 2) communicate with compassion, respect, and sincerity to earn a more positive response from others; and 3) prepare as best you can, then adapt to the rest.
Kirk Crump is a rising 2L at the University of San Francisco School of Law. As a young black man growing up in Oak Park, an urban and underprivileged area of Sacramento, California, he knew from a young age that he wanted to bring change to his community. Kirk witnessed firsthand how the Oak Park community lacked resources, was inundated with gangs and drugs, and did not have a strong educational system. He also knew his community of black people comprised a majority of the demographic of the people living in Oak Park. Thus, he wanted to change the narrative and place more resources into the community.
Throughout his life, Kris had a passion for helping others and intentionally chose employment opportunities where he felt he could make the greatest impact. While working with underprivileged youth, he realized that exposure and instruction to professional skills were invaluable. The children experienced struggles with nonverbal communication, academic language, and fear of public speaking. He created a program designed to combat the struggles, implemented tactics to overcome anxiety, and provided tools they could use throughout their lives. This summer of 2023, he interned with the Legal Services of Northern California (LSNC) as a legal clerk where he addressed civil legal issues affecting people of color such as discrimination based primarily on race, gender, and sex. He provided legal help for clients through representation and a general notice of legal rights that clients should be aware of.
This is a full circle moment for him, as he is committed to something that he set out to do at a young age which is to help his community. This opportunity has reinforced the fact that he is going in the right direction in terms of finding his purpose. Navigating through his law school journey he has had the pleasure of obtaining mentors such as Brendon Woods, the Public Defender of Alameda County, and David Sutton, the Public Defender of Marin County. As an aspiring Public Defender who is interested in the overlap between criminal defense and restorative social justice, he is able to stay grounded in remembering his “Why,” which is to help others. His passion for serving others, executing strategies, and diligent work ethic provide the perfect complementary skill set to make great contributions to the legal community as he has a lifetime commitment to racial justice and restoration on a civil and criminal level.
Scholarships were awarded based on financial need, scholastics, involvement in public service, and barriers faced in life. Each recipient will receive a $10,000 scholarship for the 2023-2024 academic year, which may be renewable for an additional one to two years. Donors of former and continuing scholarships include Morrison & Foerster, AT&T, Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass, PG&E, Keker, Van Nest & Peters, and many others.
Since its inception in 1998, the Bay Area Minority Law Student Scholarship program has awarded more than $2 million in support to 100 students. The program was established to reaffirm a commitment to diversity in legal education and the legal profession.