2017 LMJ Scholarship Recipients

2017 LMJ Scholar Recipient

Christina Drakeford graduated from Cornell University in 2017 in the top 1% of her class with a degree in Policy Analysis & Management. She is interested in the intersection of law and business – particularly corporate law. Drakeford was recognized at Cornell for her commitment to community service. While there, she founded a club dedicated to helping immigrants pass the high school equivalency test. She is a native of Buffalo, NY, and last year the mayor of Buffalo proclaimed June 30th, 2017 “Christina M. Drakeford Day” within the city for her accomplishments. She is currently a first-year law student at Harvard Law School.

2017 LMJ Scholar Recipient

Jason Oh graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Agricultural Business/Economics and a minor in Philosophy from California State University, Fresno. Jason is a first-generation Asian American and the first in his family to graduate from a university. Prior to law school, Jason was a Bob Beverly Legislative Intern at the California State Capitol, Legal Clerk at Wild, Carter & Tipton Law Firm, and Chair of The Suited Foundation, an organization providing scholarship and mentorship to high school students. Jason also organized and led revitalization projects in Fiji and Tanzania. Jason is currently a first-year law student at the University of Washington School of Law as a Gregoire Fellow, a 3-year merit scholarship. He is a member of the Law and Business Association and Student Ambassador Council. Jason hopes to pursue a career in business/corporate transactions.

2017 LMJ Scholar Recipient

Shannon Reid graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Political Science and International Affairs, with minors in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Cincinnati (UC). As a Cincinnati, Ohio native, Ms. Reid solidified her interest in law while completing her undergraduate studies and engaging with the Cincinnati community. As an undergraduate, Ms. Reid founded and directed the BIG RED and Black Mentorship Program (BRB), a mentorship collaborative between UC and a local Cincinnati public school. Ms. Reid also completed several internships with law firms and corporations through the Summer Work Experience in Law (SWEL) Program. Ms. Reid is currently a first-year law student at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she serves on the board of the Equal Justice Foundation, as a Direct Service Fellow with the Youth Advocacy Project, and as a member of the Black Law Students Association. Ms. Reid is interested in providing legal counsel in the areas of employment, intellectual property, privacy, and education.

2017 LMJ Scholar Recipient

Felipe is a first-generation Mexican-American from southwest Los Angeles. In 2012, he was recognized as a Truman scholar because he founded M.E.N.T.E, a non-profit that helped over five-hundred first-generation low-income students attend college. Concurrently, he managed the Bank on Orange County Initiative with Orange County United Way which provided a pro-bono financial literacy program to hundreds of low-income families. As a 2014 Fulbright Scholar in Colombia, Felipe taught English at the University of Ibagúe and established an after-school program for children affected by the ongoing civil war. Upon his return to California, Felipe served as a 2014/5 Senate Fellow for Senator Ricard Pan where Felipe managed a bill into law to prohibit discrimination at public accommodations on the basis of immigration status and language.

Felipe received double B.A degrees in Political Science and Music Performance from the University of California, Irvine in 2013. In 2016, he received an MSc in Education, Policy and International Development from the University of Bristol and in 2017 received an MSc in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation from the University of Oxford, both as a Marshall Scholar. Felipe is currently a 1L at Harvard Law School where he serves as a student attorney for the Harvard Defenders and Harvard Immigration Project, Removal Detention Project. This summer Felipe will be interning with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) in Sacramento, CA where he will work on immigration impact litigation, State public policy advocacy, and a “Know your Rights” community project.