2019 Scholars

Timothy Cordova ‘21 is a 2019 Law & Public Policy Scholar and a Conwell Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Tim is a native of Bucks County, Pennsylvania and completed his bachelor’s degree in government and politics with high honors at the University of Maryland. Before entering law school, Tim worked as a Research Associate at The Pew Charitable Trusts in their Washington, DC office. There he worked with the Research Review and Support team to ensure the research quality and accuracy of all research produced by Pew. He also worked closely with Pew’s Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Initiative on research related to the opioid crisis. While in Washington, D.C., Tim is interning at the Department of Justice, Civil Division, Torts Branch, Aviation, Space & Admiralty Section. His policy interests include Medicaid and Medicare policy and substance use treatment.

Zachary Allen ’21 is a Law Faculty Scholar, a member of the Temple Environmental Law Society and a 2019 Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Allen graduated from University of Delaware with a B.A. in Political Science. As an undergraduate, Mr. Allen worked on research about environmental terrorism. Before going to college, Mr. Allen worked with the University of Delaware to help and develop crops which could withstand the effects of climate change.

While in Washington, D.C., Mr. Allen is working at the ABA Commission on Law and Aging. His policy interests range from climate change and sustainability to healthcare reform.

Heather Swadley is a 2019 Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law. She is concurrently pursuing a PhD in Political Science and is writing her dissertation on the politics of community integration for persons with intellectual, developmental, and mental health disabilities. Prior to starting law school, Heather worked in the UK House of Commons and as a health policy researcher for a public affairs consultancy. She also helped found, develop, and implement a national mental health campaign for the Labour Party.

In Washington, DC, Heather is working at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.  Her primary policy interest is disability policy.

Shannon Scabora is a 2019 Law and Public Policy Scholar, a Beasley Scholar, and a Barrack Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law. She graduated from Temple University, where she studied political science and English, with honors in 2018.

Prior to law school, Ms. Scabora served as a team leader for Jumpstart, an AmeriCorps organization that promotes quality early childhood education by implementing literacy, language, and social-emotional programming in Pre-K classrooms. At Temple Law, she serves as Co-President of Temple’s chapter of If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice, Community Service Chair of the Student Public Interest Network (SPIN), and Co-Chair of the National Lawyers Guild Gender Justice Committee. Beyond the law school, she serves as a legal advocate at the Medical-Legal-Community Partnership (MLCP), where she helps patients at community health centers in Philadelphia navigate Medicaid, Social Security, and issues involving access to safe and healthy housing by providing on-site legal advice, assistance, and referrals. She also volunteers at Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania as a clinic escort.

In Washington, Ms. Scabora is working as a legal fellow at the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE), a nonprofit organization that advocates for international sexual and reproductive health and rights. Her primary policy interests are in reproductive health and justice.

Sarah Connor ’21 is a Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law, where she also serves as Secretary of the Student Bar Association, Chair of the Political Action Committee for Temple Outlaw, Co-Chair for Fundraising for the Student Public Interest Network (SPIN), Co-Chair of Gender Justice for Temple’s chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, student coordinator of Temple’s Name Change Project, and a volunteer for Temple’s Expungement Project. Sarah is also a Weisman Family Fellow and a Beasley Scholar, and she is working to establish an affinity and advocacy group for disability rights and education on campus.

Prior to law school, Sarah experienced the nonprofit sector at a high level while working at Sandler Search, a firm that places executive leadership at many leading cause-oriented organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Psychology from New York University, where she conducted research with youth, especially girls and young women, in the juvenile justice system in the lab of Dr. Shabnam Javdani. Sarah served as an Advocate and later as a Peer Supervisor for Dr. Javdani’s groundbreaking R.O.S.E.S. intervention, which pairs girls in the juvenile justice system with student advocates who utilize a strengths-based, client-centered approach to change by helping the girls’ communities to better meet their needs and enable them to thrive. Sarah also served as a research assistant in Dr. Javdani’s C.O.R.E. lab and worked as an information technology assistant in NYU’s Bobst Library and Silver School of Social Work.

While at NYU, Sarah also partnered with several fellow students to found the Queership Project, or QP, a grassroots queer organization and network. By creating curricula for a series of differently themed group gatherings, QP’s mission is to raise political consciousness, encourage self-expression, and create a truly intersectional space for bond-making within the queer community.

For the summer of 2019 in Washington, Sarah is a Legal Intern in the Special Litigation and Advocacy Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a leading racial justice organization founded at the behest of John F. Kennedy in 1963. She is exploring her policy interests in LGBTQIAP+ rights, racial justice, and rights for persons with disabilities, and especially her interest in examining intersectional approaches to civil rights.

Peter S. Konchak ’21 is a 2019 Law and Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law. In 2016, Peter graduated from Temple University with a B.B.A. in Finance after only three years of study.  He served as financial analyst for the Owl Fund, a student-run mutual fund in the Fox School of Business. Upon graduation, Peter worked as a fellow in Secretary Clinton’s presidential campaign where he organized in the Frankford neighborhood of Philadelphia. He went on to work for a judge in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and then the Defender’s Association of Philadelphia before to attending law school.

While in DC, Peter will be working at Schwartz & Ballen, LLP.

Lily Austin ’20 is a Law & Public Policy Scholar and a Beasley Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Lily is a City Year Los Angeles alumna and a graduate of Swarthmore College, where she studied Education and Latin American Studies. After college, Lily worked for several years at a civil legal services organization in North Carolina, where she led regular outreach to migrant farmworkers and assisted with employment and immigration cases.  During her first year in North Carolina, Lily was also in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.

During her 1L summer, Lily worked at Philadelphia Legal Assistance, where she represented clients at administrative hearings for unemployment benefits. While at Temple, Lily has also engaged in extensive clinical work to support an organization that is seeking to improve legal protections and labor standards for domestic workers in Philadelphia.

As a Law & Public Policy Scholar in Washington D.C., Lily is working at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of General Counsel, Fair Housing Compliance Division.  Lily’s policy interests are in workers’ rights, affordable housing and economic development, and models of policymaking and legal enforcement that include workers and communities.

Brittany Jones ’20 is a Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law and currently serving a second term as the Mid-Atlantic Black Law Student Association Regional Parliamentarian.  Last summer, she worked at the Philadelphia Board of Ethics where she worked on ethics training materials for city employees and campaign finance investigations.  Brittany also holds B.A. degrees in Government and Middle Eastern Studies from the College of William and Mary.

Prior to law school, she worked in the marketing department for a large law firm.  Brittany managed the webinar program for all fourteen North American offices while providing training to business development managers and attorneys.   She also worked and volunteered on a number of policy issues on the local and state level.

While in Washington, Brittany is working as a legal intern with the Taxpayer Advocate Service at the Internal Revenue Service.  During this time, she will be exploring her interest in Banking and Financial Services Regulation.

Lauren Boothe ’20 is a 2019 Law & Public Policy Scholar, Weisman Fellow, Equal Justice America Fellow, and Conwell Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Originally from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Ms. Boothe graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.

Prior to law school, Lauren completed a 10.5 month AmeriCorps service term in Seattle, Washington assisting individuals and families who were currently experiencing homelessness and trying to access housing resources. It was during her time with AmeriCorps that she developed an interest in helping those facing financial and personal hardships and decided to pursue a career in public interest law.

Since entering law school, Lauren has been involved with public interest focused organizations and has served as a 1 L representative for the National Lawyers Guild and solicitations co-chair of the Student Public Interest Network (SPIN), She is the current SPIN fundraising co-chair for the 2019-2020 school year. Lauren is also an active member of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and served as the fundraising chair for the 2018-2019 school year.

This summer, as a Law & Public Policy Scholar, Lauren is working at Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. Her policy interests include housing access and inequality.

Luis Miguel Meléndez ’20 is a Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law where he has served as a board member of OutLaw and the Latin American Law Students Association (LALSA).  He also volunteers for the Transgender Name Change Project and the National Lawyers Guild Expungement Project and serves as an Academic Core Enrichment (ACE) Counselor. During his time at Temple, Luis has worked as a legal intern at the Office of Disciplinary Counsel of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the Mazzoni Center, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania. Luis earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from la Universidad del Turabo. As an undergraduate student, he served as a volunteer in seven political campaigns in Puerto Rico.

While in Washington, Luis is working as a legal intern at the Employment Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice. His policy interests include racial justice and LGBTQ rights.

Josh Niemtzow ‘21 is a Law & Public Policy Scholar and a Beasley Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law. A Philadelphia native, Josh earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History from Emory University, in Atlanta, focusing on Southern politics and the American Civil Rights Era. During his time at Emory, Josh assisted in two state-wide political campaigns, aided the legal strategist of a prominent civic engagement nonprofit, and led Emory’s Democrats club. He also received the Blumenthal Award for best undergraduate research paper in Jewish Studies and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. Prior to law school Josh spent two years working at a law firm assisting with complex environmental litigation. As a Law & Public Policy Scholar, Josh is working at Microsoft’s U.S. Government Affairs Office. His policy interests include prisoner human rights, immigration, and K-12 education.

H. Theresa Glinski ‘21 is a 2019 Law & Public Policy Scholar and Weisman Fellow at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Theresa graduated magna cum laude from La Salle University in 2013 with a B.A. in English and Political Science and a Leadership and Global Understanding (LGU) minor.

Upon graduation, Theresa taught English in Bratislava, Slovakia on a grant through The Fulbright Program. Following the completion of her grant, Theresa continued teaching adults and prepared employees of Slovak Government Ministries to host the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2016. Prior to law school, Theresa was a Program Officer at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) where she advocated for the free speech and due process rights of students and faculty in higher education.

While in Washington, Theresa is interning at the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Gracen Eiland ’21 is a 2019 Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law and a recipient of a full-tuition Beasley Scholarship as well as a Weisman Fellowship. She graduated summa cum laude from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2016 where she earned her B.A. in International Social Justice Studies. Prior to law school, Gracen worked for the Richmond Peace Education Center, a grassroots, nonprofit organization dedicated to building just, inclusive, and nonviolent communities through education and action. She also gained legislative experience working for as a committee staff member for the Virginia State Senate during the 2018 General Assembly session.

While in Washington, Gracen is serving as a policy intern for the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights. The Young Center is a human rights organization which works to protect and advance the rights and best interests of immigrant children in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as with state and federal law. Gracen’s policy interests include education and child advocacy.

Fanny Lau ’21 is a Beasley Scholar and 2019 Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law, where she serves as the President of the Asian-Pacific American Law Student Association and a member of the Student Public Interest Network.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology with a minor in Environmental Studies from Lawrence University, where she graduated magna cum laude and served as Editor-in-Chief of the student newspaper. As an undergraduate, she conducted fieldwork abroad in rural China, researching the impact of sustainable development on ethnic minorities.

Prior to law school, she has been recognized for her work in community organizing through founding a neighborhood advocacy group and working on political campaigns in Wisconsin and New York City. She is a graduate of Emerge Wisconsin and Wellstone Action’s Data & Analytics Camp.

In Washington, Fanny is working as a legal intern at Internet2 on a wide range of specialized issues at the intersection of law and technology affecting the research and education communities. Her policy interests include financial regulation, consumer protection, and campaign finance reform.

 

 

Cary Zhang ’21 is a Beasley Scholar and 2019 Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Cary earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with minors in English Literature, Spanish, Gender Studies, and Africana Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. At Pitt, she became interested in the intersection of discrimination, education, and psychological development. She was an intern for the Center for Urban Education and the Center for Latin American Studies. Cary was also a researcher at the Pitt Parents and Children Lab. For three years, Cary served as a university liaison for the Pittsburgh Convention to End Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), where she educated her fellow students about CEDAW’s work fighting campus sexual assault. At Temple, she is the community and campus engagement chair for the Student Discipline Advocacy Service (SDAS), and the Lunar Banquet Chair for the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association (APALSA).

While in Washington, Cary is working at AEquitas, which is a non-profit organization that serves as a prosecutor’s resource on sexual violence, violence against women, and human trafficking. Cary is interested in intimate partner violence and campus sexual assault.

Evan Garber ’21 is a Law Faculty Scholar and 2019 Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law.  Evan holds bachelor’s degrees in Writing Seminars and Political Science from Johns Hopkins University, where he graduated with departmental honors in 2018.  As an undergraduate, Evan volunteered with the League for People with Disabilities, mentored an underperforming high school student through an organization called Thread, and helped facilitate fiction workshops with Writers in Baltimore Schools.  Before entering law school, Evan worked as a legislative intern for New Jersey Assembly Majority Leader Louis D. Greenwald and at various law firms in New Jersey.

While in Washington, Evan is working at the Addiction Policy Forum to pursue his interest in substance use and rehabilitation policy.  His other policy interests include civil rights, mental health, and arts education.

Basmah Raja ’21 is a 2019 Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Basmah graduated from Lafayette College with a B.A. in Government & Law. While at Lafayette she volunteered at the Boys & Girls Club where she developed an interest in education. After graduation, she worked as a legal secretary and assistant at law firms in New York and New Jersey for several years before starting law school.

In Washington, Basmah is an intern at the Council for Court Excellence, a nonprofit organization focused on improving the justice system for the Washington D.C. community. Her policy interests include minority issues and the effects of education disparity.

Araesia King ’21 is a 2019 Law & Public Policy Scholar, Conwell Scholar, and Weisman Family Fellow at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Araesia earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL. While studying at Eckerd, she partnered with the mayor’s office to implement a service-learning initiative in the local public high schools. After graduating, Araesia completed a service year with City Year in Columbia, SC, where she witnessed the shortcomings of our country’s public education system which further developed her interest in advocating for the rights of children. At Temple, she is the 2019-2020 Program Director for the School Disciplinary Advocacy Service (SDAS), an organization through which law students act as advocates for Philadelphia K-12 students in school disciplinary proceedings. In Washington, Araesia is interning at the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice in the Educational Opportunities Section. She is passionate about education policy and hopes to pursue a career in that field after graduating law school.

Andria Morales is a Conwell Scholar and Law & Public Policy Scholar at Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law.   Andria’s policy research is focused on Congress’ plenary power over Puerto Rico and its impact on both U.S. citizens on the island and members of the diaspora living in the states.  In Washington, Andria is working at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of General Counsel, Department of Legislation and Regulations.  In Philadelphia, Andria will work at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and at City Hall in the Office of Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sanchez.

Andria is an accomplished visual artist with works in special collections at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the New York Public Library, and Yale University Library, among others.  She graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and holds an MFA from Temple University Tyler School of Art.  Andria is an alumni of the Art & Law Program, and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the von Rydingsvard and Greengard Foundation in New York.

At Temple Law, Andria serves as President of the Student Wellness Association, and as a member of the boards of the Latin American Law Students Association and the Christian Legal Society.

Alice Elmer ’21 is a Law & Public Policy Scholar, Weisman Fellow, and Beasley Scholar at Temple University Beasley School of Law, where she serves as Professional Development Chair for APALSA, Treasurer for OutLaw, Events Chair for Temple Women’s Law Caucus, and Corporate and Faculty Donations Chair for SPIN.

Prior to law school, Alice worked with Rare Bird Books, an independent publishing house in Los Angeles. She performed a key role within the company, bridging the gap between editing and book design. As a senior team member, she polished project management and critical problem-solving skills, advancing from a person who loves to learn to a person who understands how to thrive as a working professional. Driven to create great change in people’s lives, she has since harnessed her experience in writing and storytelling for the study of law.

Alice has also volunteered at two renowned public radio stations, attended adult extension classes in journalism, and worked extensively with Los Angeles nonprofit agencies. Through participation in a local art studio in her hometown of South Pasadena, she was deeply involved with forming community and providing leadership for over ten years.

Alice holds a B.A. degree in Photography and Gender Studies from the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies at the University of Redlands. As an undergraduate student, she went studied in Prague and in Paris, where she focused on photography and European culture.

As a Law & Public Policy Scholar, Alice is working in the Special Proceedings Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Her policy interests include financial regulation and immigration.