The deadline for the 2008 AP&S Diversity Scholarship application is June 1st. Started last year, the Adler Pollock & Sheehan Diversity Scholarship is awarded to an incoming first-year law student in the fall of 2008. A copy of the application and information about the scholarship requirements are available in the About Us section on this website under Commitment to Diversity.
In 2007, AP&S started an initiative aimed at promoting diversity within the legal profession. The firm pledged to give a $10,000 scholarship to a minority student entering his or her first year of law school. The purpose of the scholarship is to encourage and assist the student who has demonstrated academic excellence and a commitment to the community, to attend law school and successfully enter the practice of law. The financial need of the applicant as well as the applicant’s desire to work and reside in Rhode Island or Massachusetts upon graduation will be significant factors considered in awarding the scholarship, as the firm’s offices are located in Providence and Boston.
The inaugural scholarship was awarded in September 2007 to Vladimir Ibarra of Central Falls, Rhode Island, a first-year law student at Roger Williams University School of Law. Vladimir immigrated with his mother to the United States from Colombia when he was 14 years old to escape the violence and drug wars. He learned English as a second language, successfully completed high school, became a U.S. citizen, and pursued his higher education at the Community College of Rhode Island and Roger Williams University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and social and health services.
The scholarship application period runs from January 1st until June 1st of 2008. Those recipients of the scholarship, who show strong academic achievement during their first year of law school, will be considered for employment as a summer associate at AP&S at any time after their first year of law school. The possibility of a job offer upon graduation will be considered after the completion of the summer internship(s).