September 18, 2018 – San Francisco, California – The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) of the Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) is proud to announce the 2018 recipients of its Bay Area Minority Law Student Scholarships. Thanks to the generosity of donors, three scholarships will be awarded to minority students attending Bay Area law schools this fall.

Scholarship donors include: The Shanna Bradford Scholarship of the Arthur & Charlotte Zitrin Foundation, Dr. Ruth Shaber, and BASF’s SF-Marin Lawyer Referral and Information Service.

The 2018 scholarship recipients are Sallia Wilkins, Wendy Melissa Hernandez and Abdiel Lewis.

Sallia Wilkins is at 1L at University of San Francisco. She received her bachelor’s degree at Loyola Marymount University in English and Political Science. She intends to use her degree to focus on restorative justice through legislation and policy. Growing up in a disadvantaged community motivated her to work hard and position herself in a place that would enable her to execute change.

Wendy Melissa Hernandez is a 2L at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where she serves as Co-president of La Raza Law Students Association, staff-editor for the Constitutional Law Quarterly, and research assistant for both Professor Alina Ball and Phillips Black, a public interest law practice. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley in American Studies (with departmental awards), specializing on Education Inequalities & Criminal Justice. She looks forward to becoming a civil rights impact-litigation attorney in order to push for systemic advocacy that will benefit marginalized communities.

Abdiel Lewis is a 1L at Santa Clara University School of Law. She graduated from California State University, Northridge with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science: Law and Society and a minor in Philosophy. Passionate about social justice and public service, she intends to use her law degree to advocate on behalf of the marginalized and disadvantaged.

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 2018-2019 academic year, which may be renewable for an additional one to two years.

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.

Learn more about the program: www.sfbar.org/scholarships.

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The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) of the Bar Association of San Francisco advances fairness and equality by providing pro bono legal services to low-income people and educational programs that foster diversity in the legal profession. JDC is the largest legal services provider in San Francisco. JDC’s primary purpose is the delivery of free legal services to low-income San Franciscans, as well as the non-profits that serve them. JDC delivers free legal services through its Legal Services Programs division, which consists of the Pro Bono Legal Services Program, Homeless Advocacy Project, and the Immigration Program. JDC provides enrichment programs to diverse youth and young adults through its Diversity Educational Programs. JDC’s programs serve approximately 9,500 disadvantaged San Franciscans a year, with the overarching goal of assisting the community’s most vulnerable members with accessing the judicial system and strengthening their personal, professional, and economic security.