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Martinez receives inaugural award from Penn State Law’s new diversity scholarship

First-year law student Britny Martinez has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote Penn State Law Diversity Scholarship. As part of the award, Martinez will receive tuition support and a summer clerkship with the law firm.
Britny Martinez

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – First-year law student Britny Martinez has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote Penn State Law Diversity Scholarship, which was created in July 2020. As part of the award, Martinez will receive tuition support and a summer clerkship with the law firm.

“It was definitely a surprise and a huge honor to win this award,” Martinez said. “I am pursuing a law degree to further my career and, ultimately, be able to pave the way for future generations in the Latinx community. This scholarship will help me achieve those goals.”

The eldest daughter in a Mexican American family, Martinez is a first-generation law student who was also the first in her family to earn a bachelor's degree. During and after her undergraduate studies at the University of California Santa Cruz, she prepared for her future legal career by working as an immigration legal advocate for the Law Office of Thomas Woodward; an administrative assistant for Franco Law Group, APLC; and a case analyst for Parris Law Firm. The summer clerkship with Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote, P.C., will be a valuable opportunity to further develop her legal research and writing skills, she said.

The diversity scholarship is a five-year fund that will be awarded annually to a first-year law student at Penn State Law in University Park whose gender, race, ethnic, cultural, and/or national background contribute to the diversity of the student body. Qualified students submit an application that includes a résumé, legal writing sample, and personal statement.

“We are extremely grateful to Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote for creating this scholarship that provides opportunity for our students and helps to diversify the profession,” said Dean Hari Osofsky. “It is exciting to see this program move forward with Britny Martinez as our inaugural recipient.”

Shoba Wadhia, associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion at Penn State Law and a member of the scholarship selection committee, pointed out that the legal field is one of the least diverse professions in the country and that scholarships such as this can help change that.

“Progress includes providing law students with access to the legal profession and allowing firms and organizations to benefit from the lived experiences and cultivate the talents of future minority lawyers,” Wadhia said. “The ripple effects are profound.”

For her part, Martinez has first-hand experience with some of the challenges facing many students from underrepresented backgrounds and is aware of the compounding benefits of efforts to diversify the legal field.

“My first year at Penn State Law continues to reinforce my commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion,” she said. “My hope is that the impact of my hard work and ultimate success will be felt, not only by me and my family, but also among the broader Latinx community that I will always be a proud part of.” 

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