SWLAW Blog | Diversity
July 25, 2019
Six Southwestern Students Awarded Mexican American Bar Foundation Scholarships
Congratulations to all our outstanding students who were honored at the Mexican American Bar Foundation’s 28th Annual Scholarship & Awards Gala! Of the 25 Mexican American Bar Foundation scholarships presented this year, six were awarded to Southwestern students.
In the 27 years of service since its establishment, the Mexican American Bar Foundation has awarded over $2.7 million in scholarships, bar study stipends, and related aid. Southwestern has received more Mexican American Bar Foundation scholarships than any other L.A. law school, with over 125+ Southwestern recipients since 1991. Recipients are selected based on academic achievement, community service, leadership, financial need, and success in overcoming hardships.
We are proud to recognize the following Southwestern Mexican American Bar Foundation scholarship honorees:
Brendan Nafarrate – 1L
"Thank you to the Mexican American Bar Foundation for the amazing scholarship they gave me and five other Southwestern students. Attending the gala and seeing so many Latino lawyers and professionals working to support us is amazing. They have inspired me to continue pushing to create access to justice and resources for all marginalized communities."
Luis Virgen – 2L Celeste Sanchez – 2L
Evelyn Curiel – 2L Jonathan Jung – 2L
Rosemary Tamayo – 1L
"I am forever grateful to the Mexican American Bar Foundation for being named the NBC Comcast Telemundo Entertainment Scholarship Recipient. Through this scholarship, I have met wonderful people, with whom I have fostered great relationships with. I encourage every Latino student to apply for this scholarship as it could have a positive impact on your legal career, as it did with mine."
Professor Christopher David Ruiz Cameron, a director and trustee of the Mexican American Bar Foundation, had nothing but words of praise for our students.
"We are consistently rated as one of the country’s top law schools for Latino/a students because Southwestern nurtures their talent and gives them a place to showcase it," said Professor Cameron. "There are no better examples of this than the six winners of the MABF scholarships this year. Felicidades to Brendan, Luis, Celeste, Evelyn, Rosemary, and Jonathan!"
We couldn't have said it better ourselves. Congratulations to all six students on their well-deserved success!
About the Mexican American Bar Foundation:
The mission of the Mexican American Bar Foundation (MABF), a Section 501(c)(3) charitable corporation organized and operated by volunteer lawyers and judges, is to enhance the diversity of the legal profession through education.
The MABF is dedicated to providing financial assistance to men and women of Chicano and Latino heritage who intend to pursue careers in the law. Since 1991, working with minimal overhead, the MABF has awarded over $2.7 million, mostly in the form of 456 scholarships to law students, plus stipends to graduates studying for the California Bar Exam.
Photo credit: Mexican American Bar Foundation