Boyd has an incredible commitment to public interest that drew me in almost immediately. I've known for a long time that I wanted to work in public interest, but I didn't always know what exactly I wanted to do. I've tried many different paths including social work, higher education, and nonprofit, but nothing felt just right until I started school at Boyd. This scholarship eases the pressure on my now one-income household, and ensures that I will be able to pursue meaningful work after graduation without being pushed into a corner by financial need.

I learned about community service and giving back to the community at a very early age. As a child I was taught the values of tzedakah and tikkun olam. One of our Hanukkah presents every year was a donation to a charity of our choice. Since middle school, I have been volunteering at the AFAN Aids Walk every spring. My synagogue had a program where during our b'nei mitzvah year we would each find different projects in the community to work with. My great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents all instilled these values into me.

My pathway to public interest law most certainly began early on in my life. As a child, my mother worked as a teacher in low-income schools with special needs students. I had the opportunity to spend time with her students as a peer model during the summer months. I quickly recognized the importance of helping those in need and dedicating my life to public interest in some capacity when I was older. After college, I joined a national teaching organization and taught eighth grade science for two years in a Title I school.

I saw Boyd as a great opportunity to give back and strengthen the community. There are members in our community that struggle each and every day, but their voices go unheard. I wanted to be their voice when they had none and make a life changing impact. I feel that in some ways I have, but there is always more work to be done. It was an honor to receive the Public Interest Fellowship in recognition of my community service activities.

In college, I focused on student government as well as volunteered for an organization that strove to ensure that everyone had access to the judicial system and received fair treatment. After college, I worked for the Nevada Legislature as a Senate Committee on Judiciary Secretary where my desire to serve the public grew. … Knowing that the work I do is meant to benefit the public or a single person who otherwise would not have the access to legal assistance is the most rewarding thing about public interest work.

My pathway to public interest began as a community organizer advocating for comprehensive immigration reform and later, as a social worker, working in juvenile probation. I began to see the disparities in access to justice for underrepresented and undocumented communities and became passionate about changing the system across picket lines. I returned to school for a master's degree in social work and now law school in order to become a better advocate for the community. … Not everyone is able to be in a position to advocate for others.