March 26, 2012
A cornerstone of the Law School’s Vincentian mission is a
commitment to improving diversity in the legal profession. From our
early days in the heart of downtown Brooklyn, opportunity has been
our hallmark and many of our first students were the hardworking
children of hardworking immigrants, eager for the opportunities a
legal education could provide. Today, through initiatives
coordinated by the Career
Development Office (CDO), St. John’s law students have
opportunities to participate in summer diversity programs offered
by law firms, corporations and local courts that enable them to
gain valuable, practical legal experience.
To date, eight St. John’s students have earned spots in these
highly selective diversity programs for summer 2012. Arent Fox LLP
has selected Edda Santiago ’14 as its New York office’s 2012
Diversity Scholar, an award based in part on academic performance,
verbal and written communication skills, leadership qualities and
community involvement. In addition to receiving a $15,000
scholarship, Edda will participate in the firm’s 10- week summer
associate program. The CDO team of Rena M. Varghese, Laura
Schwartz, Crystal Diaz and Sejal Singh collaborated to advise and
guide Edda through the application process. “At first, I thought I
only had a slim chance to win the Arent Fox Scholarship,” Edda
said. “But Laura truly believed in me. She encouraged me to apply,
followed up with me after interviews and was very responsive to my
questions and concerns. Together with Laura, Rena, Sejal and
Crystal conducted a mock interview to prepare me for my initial
meeting with the firm."
The same CDO career counselors, along with Writing Specialist Chris
McKittrick, helped three students place in the New York City Bar
Diversity Fellowship Program. Monique Haynes ’14 will spend the
summer at MetLife, Inc., while Angelie Thomas ’14 will work for the
New York City Law Department and Alison Bomba ’14 will be at
Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP. Additionally, Ravi Vohra
‘13 was selected for the Diversity Fellowship at Forchelli, Curto,
Deegan, Schwartz, Mineo, Cohn & Terrana LLP. Rounding out these
student achievements, Johnson Chen ‘14, Tarin Tomlinson ’14 and
Robert Garafola ‘14 will participate in the Joint Minority Bar
Association Judicial Internship Program this summer. This
competitive program places law students as summer interns in New
York federal and state courthouses.
The Law School’s Career Development Office continues to work with
current students to identify and pursue summer diversity
opportunities. It also offers a range of services and resources to
guide students and alumni on their pathways to the legal
profession. To learn more about the CDO’s offerings, please
contact us.