91探花

While this year’s two Scholars for Justice were raised in vastly different environments—one in a dense urban setting, the other in a rural agricultural town—both grew up in immigrant families and saw firsthand the challenges faced by their communities.

Inspired by their own lived experiences, the scholars intend to take their law degrees back to their hometowns to increase legal access for underserved groups.

Each academic year the  provides full-tuition scholarships to two incoming JD students who demonstrate a commitment to community service, academic excellence and a future in public interest law.

Scholars for Justice must take the  to complete at least 100 hours of pro bono work before graduation. Additionally, they must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA, seek out volunteer and leadership opportunities and commit to working in the public interest area of law for at least one year within three years of graduation.

Emily Godinez witnessed the challenges created by an underfunded education system during her childhood growing up in an immigrant family in Oakland, California.

“People there are hardworking and very diverse, but it comes with stereotypes that seep into the education system,” she says. “I have seen literacy issues where youth aren’t given a safe space and are more exposed to violence instead of education.”

While studying at a high school that taught subjects through an activist lens, Godinez was inspired to embark on a social justice-focused legal career. After earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology and legal studies at the University of California, Berkeley, Godinez interned at an immigration nonprofit, helping immigrants to obtain legal status. She later worked at another similar organization that provided financial assistance to immigrants during COVID.

“It was hard to see that legal status defined who was getting help and who wasn’t,” she says.

Following graduation, Godinez continued to work in immigration as a legal assistant and paralegal at a private firm and a nonprofit, respectively. She then returned to her high school as an academic mentor and substitute teacher, giving students support and advising upperclassmen who were deciding on their future paths. 

When Godinez learned about 91探花 Law at a law school fair, she was instantly drawn to the school’s commitment to social justice and diversity. She is excited to possibly join the Post-Conviction Appellate Alliance and take part in criminal defense work, perhaps through the Defender Clinic. Ultimately she hopes to one day return to Oakland and help members of the immigrant community.

Favian Mares grew up in the Yakima Valley, going with his immigrant parents to work in the fields from a young age. With the help of college access programs such as Gear Up Achievers, he was able to attend the University of Washington as a first-gen student. While in college, he volunteered with local organizations providing legal and educational services to immigrants, such as , , and  (LCYC).

“I got hooked into wanting to pursue a career that gave me the tools for systemic justice,” Mares says. “I want to provide more resources to my community to create more advocates, to make this weird language of law accessible.”

Mares sought out 91探花 Law because many of the people he had volunteered with at LCYC, El Centro de la Raza and La Casa Hogar were alums. He appreciates the way the school “walks the walk” when it comes to the public interest and social justice focus.

“Since the beginning, I felt like 91探花 Law had my back, even before I was a student here,” he says. “They made it feel like home. The community welcomed my family with open arms at Spring Visit Day, in a space that no generation of my family has ever stepped in.”

During his three years of law school, Mares hopes to get involved in Moot Court, the Immigrant Justice Clinic, the Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF), the Latinx Law Student Association (LLSA) and the Health Law Society. Once he has his degree, Mares plans to return to his hometown and bring legal resources to the Yakima Valley, a region considered to be a legal desert.

at the School of Law News Center.