Stevens Fellowship Alumni Newsletter
News & Spotlights to Connect, Inform, and Celebrate Our Talented Community of John Paul Stevens Foundation Fellowship Program Alumni
The Summer 2024 Stevens Fellowship Cohort celebrates a wonderful milestone as we supported reaching 1000 Fellows!
With over 50,000 hours of crucial advocacy work completed, 2024 Fellows join 26 previous year groups of Fellowship Alumni in becoming essential engines of transformation in the realm of public interest law. Congratulations!
2024 Fellows meeting up in D.C. this summer
Happy Hour in D.C. hosted by the Foundation
Happy Hour in D.C. hosted by the Foundation
Would your firm or organization like to host a Fellowship Happy Hour in 2025?
Please get in touch!
Email: Fellows@jpstevensfoundation.org
The Foundation is committed to keeping in touch with our Alumni. If you have recently moved or started using a new email address, please update your contact information through this form so we can continue to reach you regarding future events: https://forms.gle/8bcLjR7ygw9M1qtdA
If you have any questions, please email the Foundation staff at Fellows@jpstevensfoundation.org.
The Foundation Awarded the Dean’s Partnership Award
The Stevens Foundation was recently honored with receipt of the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law 2024 Dean’s Partnership Award. This award recognizes an organization or individual for their collaboration and investment in the future of Northwestern Pritzker Law. This was an especially great honor since Justice Stevens awarded the very first Stevens Fellowship in 1997 at Northwestern, his alma matter!
Program Director, Anjuli Arora-Dow, along with Susan Stevens Mullen (Board member and Justice Stevens’ daughter) and three Stevens Alumni Fellows, Rahwa Gebre-Egziabher a 2001 Fellow; Marian Woznica a 2022 Fellow; and Henry Zhu a 2021 Fellow (all Northwestern graduates) attended the event to receive the award.
Alumni Stevens Fellows at the Awards dinner
Sue Stevens Mullen and Anjuli Arora-Dow accepting the award (Dean of Northwestern pictured in the middle)
First-Generation Law School Students
The Foundation is proud that this year’s cohort had the most first-generation graduate students ever, with 52% identifying as first-generation graduate school students.
2021 Stevens Fellow, Jonah D. Chadwick Griego, speaks first hand to that experience:
“Being a first-generation college and law school graduate has been an immensely personal and transformative journey. Graduating from college was a significant milestone for my family and me, but stepping into law school was an entirely new challenge I hadn’t anticipated pursuing. The road was tough, especially during my first semester, but the unwavering support from my classmates and professors was crucial in helping me overcome those early hurdles and ultimately graduate cum laude from the University of Georgia School of Law.”
Jonah D. Chadwick Griego, 2021 Stevens Fellow
The 2024 Stevens Fellows
The summer of 2024 continued the positive trajectory of supporting Fellows with diverse backgrounds and experiences: 157 Fellows from 38 law schools and 3 nonprofit partners working in 23 states across the country.
45% of the Fellows this summer interned at a nonprofit organization, 28% spent their summers working in defense, 5% were at a district attorney’s office, 11% spent their summer at a state or local government agency, and 11% worked at a Federal Government office.
2024 Fellows provided over 50,000 hours of public interest work and worked with 136 unique employers across the country.
23 STATES
including D.C.
Get Involved: Give a Guest Lecture, Deliver a Training, Be a Keynote Speaker
The 1,000+ alumni of the Stevens Fellowship program are a growing community of legal experts and social justice leaders. Are you a specialist in a certain legal topic? Do you feel passionate about the work you are doing and want to enthuse others about your organization?
We enthusiastically invite you to share your expertise and experience with current and former Fellows. If you are interested in providing a training to other Stevens Fellows, please reach out to us: Fellows@jpstevensfoundation.org
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Fellowship Alumni spotlight
Mia Villegas
2024 Fellow – University of Southern California (USC)
This summer I worked at the Orange County Public Defender’s Office. During that time, I was the second chair on a misdemeanor trial. I assisted in jury selection, prepping the client for testifying, researching jury instructions, and creating questions for direct and cross-examinations.
At the end of the trial, our client was found not guilty. Hugging the client upon hearing the verdict and witnessing his relief, gratitude, and vindication of his innocence was the highlight of my summer and has cemented my passion for public defense. The Foundation’s support allowed me to accept the position at the Orange County Public Defender’s Office and I have accepted a post-bar Fellowship there as well.
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Vick Benjamin
2021 Fellow – Southern University Law Center
I currently work as a civil rights lawyer at the Underdog Law Office in Portland, Oregon. One of the most fulfilling aspects of my work is being able to actively participate in all stages of the legal process—drafting pleadings, conducting depositions, and representing clients in hearings and civil trials. Being able to fight for justice on behalf of individuals whose rights were violated, while working alongside our lead attorney, Michael Fuller, who dedicates 20% of his cases to pro bono work, was both motivating and fulfilling. It reinforced my commitment to public service and the importance of advocating for those who need it most.
The Justice John Paul Stevens Foundation’s support has profoundly shaped my career. As a law student, the Foundation provided me with the necessary resource for securing an internship in public interest law, which played a crucial role in steering me toward civil rights advocacy.
That experience solidified my commitment to this field, and today, I am fulfilling my career aspirations as a civil rights attorney. The Foundation’s belief in public service continues to inspire me, and I’m deeply grateful for the role they’ve played in helping me reach my goals.
We love connecting with our Alumni Fellows!
If you would like to be featured on our social media or future newsletters, fill out this form!
Join our Alumni Council
The Foundation is starting its first Alumni Council and we are looking for volunteers. The Alumni Council will be thought partners with the Foundation to strategize the best ways to support the over 1000 Stevens Alumni Fellows. We are hoping to discuss potential training topics, in-person gatherings, and mentorship programs. We hope to get a range of Alumni Fellows that can represent the diversity of the amazing group of Stevens Fellows.
Email: Fellows@jpstevensfoundation.org for more information.
The first virtual meeting will held on Zoom on Friday, January 24th at 9amPT/12pmET/11amCT.
To join, REGISTER BY CLICKING HERE!
Stevens Clerk Profile
The 127 law professionals who clerked for Justice Stevens over his 34+ year judicial career have a privileged perspective on his work and legacy. We are proud to share their thoughts and memories with you and we remain grateful for their continued support of the Foundation.
Professor Olatunde Johnson (1996 Justice Stevens Clerk)
“I was struck by the Justice’s grace and kindness, with us and with other Justices whether he agreed with them or not. Despite his politeness, he also had a terrific sense of humor and a hint of mischief.
For instance, the Justice relished holding us in suspense while he told us the outcome of the cases. He would reenact each Justice’s position in conference, often making us laugh. The cases were often heavy, but this brought some levity to the situation. I also remember his awe when Bryan Stevenson argued a case before the Court. He had met Stevenson and like most of us, saw him as a brilliant visionary, and he seemed delighted that Stevenson could also more than hold his own at the Court.
After clerking for Justice Stevens, I worked as a civil rights lawyer, then as counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee. I am now a law professor at Columbia Law School. I relish teaching the Justice’s major opinions, as well as his dissents and concurrences. And I probably talk too much about the experience of clerking for him, his incredible memory of caselaw, his attention to factual nuance, his integrity, and his equanimity.
As lofty as this sounds, I am inspired to use my creativity and analytical skills to address injustice in this country. Much of my work today is dedicated to addressing challenges in American democracy, and I find myself reflecting and writing about the role of the Supreme Court. I am also grappling with the future of Equal Protection, and how and why it has become an obstacle to addressing racial and gender inequality.
My students are also a constant inspiration. I learn so much from their experiences, questions, and their intellectual and service projects. My hope is to inspire all of them to think deeply and critically, and to dedicate at least part of their careers to public service
Fun fact about Justice Stevens
Did you know?
Justice Stevens was a skilled card player. More than a card player, he was a Silver Life Master of bridge, a title of rare accomplishment, particularly for one who was available for tournament play only a few days of the year!
Work, Fellowship & Training Opportunities
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The Stevens Foundation is partnering with the Equal Justice Works (EJW) to offer Alumni Fellows an upcoming exclusive training: Public Interest Law Career Planning 101 Thursday, November 20th at 12pm PT/3:00 PM EST:
Please make sure to Register Here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcofuCorT0qGdRqh3p9rQi1XVL3_skBRIom
Join EJW for a discussion on how to best plan for a career in public interest law. We will be joined by expert panelists from the law school community who will review best practices for navigating your job search, applying and interviewing for public interest positions, and building out your public interest law resume during law school.
Fellowship Programs
Equal Justice Works has listed several opportunities for 1Ls, 2Ls and law gradates on their website aiming to provide a a “continiuum of Fellowships and other opportunities” These opportunities are currently accepting applications,
Learn more: https://www.equaljusticeworks.org/fellowships-opportunities/
NLADA
The NLADA Job Board is a free service that connects organizations and professionals across the equal justice community. Positions include civil legal aid services, defender organizations, pro bono and public interest organizations, public interest law firms, and academia.
Learn more: https://shorturl.at/fvBN6
Harvard Law
Harvard Law offers some free classes to law students and lawyers on their website.
Learn more: https://pll.harvard.edu/subject/law-0
Public Counsel
Public Counsel is one the nation’s largest providers of pro bono legal services. There is an open lawyer position.
Learn more: https://publiccounsel.org/career-opportunities/
If your public interest employer is hiring and you want us to spread the word, email us at Fellows@jpstevensfoundation.org.