OVERVIEW AND MISSION:
 
The Latina/o Bar Association of Washington Scholarship Foundation (Foundation) was established in 2001 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Its chartered purpose is to encourage the education of Hispanic students, particularly through providing scholarships to Hispanic law students.

In order to carry out this mission, the Foundation accepts tax-deductible contributions from a variety of sources throughout the year. Past donors have included the Latina/o Bar of Washington (LBAW) and its predecessor, the Washington State Hispanic Bar Association; the King County Bar Association; the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association; and Verizon.
 
SCHOLARSHIPS:
 
The Foundation aims to provide scholarships each year to deserving law students from each of the three law schools in the State of Washington. Recent scholarships have been worth at least $1,000 each. Scholarships are awarded each January at the annual LBAW banquet, following a competition that involves submission of an application and short essay.

Applications are accepted throughout the month of December unless indicated otherwise. Students interested in applying for this scholarship should wait until that time to submit their application and materials.

At the 2009 LBAW Annual Dinner, the Foundation awarded the following deserving Washington State law students with scholarships:

  • Maria Bocanegra, 1L, Seattle University School of Law: Maria was born in Guatemala City and moved to the United States when she was 8. In college at the University of Washington, however, Ms. Bocanegra embarked on a journey to reconnect to her roots and origins. During this time of reflection, Maria found herself increasingly motivated and determined to cause progress in people’s lives through her work, and to find solutions to contemporary issues, especially those that affect Latin America and the Latino population in the United States. Maria majored in Philosophy and Latin American Studies as an undergraduate, and became heavily involved in promoting unity among the Latino community. At Seattle University School of Law, Maria is part of the Latino Law Student Association and the Public Interest Law Foundation. Ms. Bocanegra plans to work in the International Human Rights field

  • Ana Cecilia Lopez, 1L, University of Washington School of Law: Ana was born and raised in Guatemala where she lived until immigrating to the United States in 1995. Ms. Lopez’s experience of growing up during the civil war in her homeland, gave her a greater awareness of the impact that violence has in a community. Her views in life are greatly colored by her cultural heritage, from understanding the motivations of women considered “oppressed” to the fear and despair suffered by those experiencing threats to their lives. She left Guatemala seeking a safer environment for her son. Originally arriving in Minnesota, Ms. Lopez moved to Washington State in 2000 where she worked managing a low-income farm-worker housing complex. This experience fueled her desire to finish her undergraduate degree. She attended Western Washington University where she realized that her desire to attend Law school was attainable and proceeded to design her degree in Law, Diversity, and Public Policy through Fairhaven College. Ms. Lopez sits on the board of the Minority Law Student Association at the University of Washington. Ms. Lopez's son is currently pursuing a degree in biochemistry at St. Olaf College in Minnesota.

  • Eldy Lisseth Quintanilla, 3L, Gonzaga University School of Law: Eldy was raised in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and moved to the United States in June 2005. Her family is her inspiration and biggest example of hard work, dedication and perseverance. Growing up in Honduras made her aware of the social and economic challenges that are a reality to many families around the world. She graduated cum laude from the Catholic University of Honduras with a Law Degree, while working as a clerk for the Court of Appeals of San Pedro Sula. She left her comfort zone and moved to the States knowing that the practice of law was her calling, and hoping to make a difference for herself and for her family. She obtained a Masters in Comparative Law from the University of Miami. She was then attracted to Gonzaga School of Law because of a student organization (Mission Possible) that helps communities in need, and that had recently traveled to Lepaera, Honduras. She is the current President of Mission Possible and is looking forward the upcoming service trip to Lepaera. She is also the Vice-President of the Hispanic Law Caucus, the Liaison with the Latino/a Bar Association of Washington and a member of Phi Alpha Delta

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    BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
     
    Alvaro Alvarez
    Laura Lintner
    Felipe M. Mendez
    Emma Zavala-Suárez
    Hugo Torres

     
    CONTACT INFORMATION:
     
    For further information on the Foundation and the scholarship process, please contact Alvaro Alvarez at AAlvarez@perkinscoie.com.
     
    PAST SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS:
    To view the biographies of the 2008 scholarship recipients, please click here.
    To view the biographies of the 2007 scholarship recipients, please click here.