17th Annual
PUBLIC SERVICE PROGRAM AWARD LUNCHEON
Monday, April 20, 2026
L U N C H E O N P R O G R A M
OPENING AND INTRODUCTION
Andrea Ramos
Director of Clinical Programs and Director of Immigration
Law Clinic
SOUTHWESTERN WELCOME
Darby Dickerson
President and Dean of Southwestern Law School
GEORGE AND KATRINA WOOLVERTON PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD PRESENTATION
Andrea Ramos
WOOLVERTON FAMILY PUBLIC INTEREST
AWARD PRESENTATION
Julia Vázquez
Director of Community Lawyering Clinic and Director of Public Interest Law Concentration
SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC INTEREST LAW SERVICE
AWARD PRESENTATION
Oscar Teran
Associate Dean for Career Services
Jessica Barclay-Strobel
Associate Professor of Law
Mitzie Vitela
Senior Associate Director, Externship Program
Charlyne Yue
Director of Student Affairs
STUDENT ORGANIZATION VOLUNTEER
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD PRESENTATION
Vanessa Hernandez, 2025–26 PILC Co-Chair
Paola Velazquez, 2025–26 PILC Co-Chair
Public Interest Law Faculty/Staff Committee
Through Southwestern’s Public Service Program Award Luncheon, the Public Interest Law Faculty Committee honors those students from each year's graduating class with a demonstrated dedication to public interest law activities or career practice.
The Public Service Program Award Luncheon also aims to cultivate a commitment to pro bono and public service in the wider Southwestern student body by recognizing students who fulfill their Public Service Pledge of completing a minimum of 75 hours of law-related service by graduation.
Southwestern Public Interest Law Service Award
Honoring selected graduating students in recognition of an individual's demonstrated and significant dedication to public interest law activities while at Southwestern.
Olivia Dilas
SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC INTEREST LAW SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT
Olivia Dilas serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Southwestern Journal of International Law. A refugee and survivor of the Bosnian War, her early experiences shaped her commitment to justice and accountable public institutions. While working full time, she completed over 220 hours of pro bono service and served as a certified law clerk with county and federal public agencies. She is a two-time Judge Harry Pregerson Public Service Fellow and will begin a post-bar clerkship with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office following graduation
Paola Velazquez
SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC INTEREST LAW SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT
Paola Velázquez is committed to public-interest advocacy and community-centered lawyering. During law school, she participated in the Street Law Clinic and Community Lawyering Clinic, where she provided direct legal services and legal education to system-impacted communities. She also worked with the Los Angeles County Public Defender and Alternate Public Defender, focusing on mitigation and reentry advocacy. Paola will continue this work after graduation as a post-bar clerk with the Los Angeles County Alternate Public Defender’s Office.
Emiliano Arellano
SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC INTEREST LAW SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT
Driven by a commitment to justice for underserved communities, Emiliano pursued hands-on public interest work across a range of practice areas throughout law school. In the Children's Rights Clinic, he represented students in IEP hearings, advocated for those facing disciplinary proceedings, and helped families navigate the special education system, while also spending his summers at the Children's Law Center of California and the Survivor Justice Center advocating for victims of abuse and injustice. He further served his community through the Street Law Clinic, teaching students at a continuation school about their legal rights In 2025, Emiliano was selected as the only law student presenter at the Conference of California Bar Associations, where he presented a resolution to establish a minimum urban tree canopy.
Esperanza Alonso
SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC INTEREST LAW SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT
Esperanza Alonso is the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants. She serves as Senior Lead Articles Editor for the Southwestern Journal of International Law, AILA Law Student Liaison, and co-chairs the Immigration Law Student Association. She has gained hands-on legal experience as a student in the Immigration Law Clinic and through her work with Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles, and Kids in Need of Defense, focusing on immigration advocacy and tenant rights representation. A UCLA graduate with bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Chicano/a Studies, she is committed to serving immigrant communities and advancing access to justice
Isabella Zemshman
SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC INTEREST LAW SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT
As a first-generation law student and Los Angeles native, Isabella is committed to using her legal training and advocacy skills to uplift the community. Throughout law school, she has been deeply involved in public service, including clerking with the California Department of Justice’s Worker Rights and Fair Labor Section and Bet Tzedek Legal Services’ Conservatorship and Decedents’ Estates Self-Help Clinics. She also served as a student advocate in the Community Lawyering Clinic and held leadership roles in the Public Interest Law Committee and the Labor and Employment Law Association.
Melinda Rivas
SOUTHWESTERN PUBLIC INTEREST LAW SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT
Melinda Rivas is a first-generation Salvadoran American law student, dedicated to advancing equity through public interest law. Her experience spans disability rights, family and dependency law, and employment rights, complemented by meaningful volunteer work with organizations like Starts With One Today Grounded in her lived experiences, she brings empathy, resilience, and a deep commitment to serving marginalized communities. Melinda plans to continue her career in public interest law, working to expand access to justice and uplift those most impacted by systemic barriers.
Student Organization Volunteer Achievement Award
Honoring a student organization who, as a whole, has demonstrated the most significant contribution to public service activities and engagement both on- and off-campus during the academic year.
Mass Incarceration Awareness Law Society
The Mass Incarceration Awareness Law Society (MIALS) is a student-led organization committed to examining and challenging the systems that drive mass incarceration MIALS fosters thoughtful dialogue, community engagement, and expanded learning within the Southwestern community through speaker events, legal discussions, and service opportunities that deepen students’ understanding of the criminal legal system and promote more equitable and restorative approaches.
A core initiative of MIALS is its partnership with Homeboy Industries, through which students volunteer at bi-monthly expungement clinics During the 2025–2026 academic year, student volunteers completed over 90 expungement petitions for more than 30 community members, and in February 2026 MIALS hosted an expungement training with Homeboy Industries that engaged over 70 students. Through this work, MIALS encourages students to critically engage with the legal system, participate in meaningful advocacy, and support community-based efforts to expand access to justice and opportunity
We remember with gratitude
Professor Isabelle R. Gunning
Longtime Faculty Advisor to MIALS, whose guidance and dedication to our students will be deeply missed.
Southwestern’s Public Service Distinction
Students who perform a minimum of 75 hours of law-related service throughout their law school experience receive special recognition at commencement and have the notation “Public Service Distinction” placed on their law school transcript.
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C L A S S O F
Congratulations to the graduating students who have fulfilled their Public Service Pledge
Emiliano Arellano
Courtney Azari
Nicole Bala
Astgik Boyadzhyan
Baylynne Brunetti
Kassandra Cuellar
Nayelie De Santiago
Olivia Dilas
Miranda Flores-Tirado
Vanessa Hernandez
Jamie Hunt
Xitlaly Leon
Eva Mooradian
Natalie Resendiz
Zareh Shahinian
Bethany Shrove
Raad Soudani
Jacquelyn Vasantachat
Paola Velazquez
Isabella Zemshman
to our 2026 PILC Summer Grant Recipients!
I L C G R A N T
Harvey L. and Lillian Silbert Fellow
Jorge Ambriz
Dean Leigh H. Taylor Public Interest Law Fund
Zain Ali
Valley Community Legal Foundation and the Friedenthal Family Public Interest Grant
Carlos Rivera
Prager Public Interest Law Committee Grant
Stephanie Rodriguez
Celine Adran
Zain Ali
Jorge Ambriz
Jamie Binder
Breanna Brambila
Zulma Carbajal
Christian Haro
Emma Jefferson
Priya Joshi
Nathanael Lattanzio
Samantha Maddocks
Malina Manni
Isabella Meza
Carlos Rivera
Stephanie Rodriguez
Ivy Smith
Katheryn Walk
Mark Williams
Alexis Zuniga
