“As we look at the wonderful and changing diversity of my city, L.A., it’s important not to lose sight of those who have great potential to develop as leaders who will continue to invest their time and expertise on behalf of their communities.” – Erika J. Glazer
Established in 2018, the Erika J. Glazer Endowed Scholarship has supported first-year law students who are dedicated to achieving equity for Los Angeles’ Black communities. Made possible by an the initial $250,000 gift from Glazer, a philanthropist who focuses on developing strong communities throughout Los Angeles, this fund will help train future attorneys, academics, and advocates who will work with a deep understanding of the intersection of race and the law.
Glazer Scholarship Recipients
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Alexis Moore '25
Alexis Moore is originally from Memphis, TN. She earned a bachelor's degree in Philosophy from Rhodes College, where she was a member of the Chi Omega Sorority and the Vice President of Legal Affairs for the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature. After graduating, Moore worked as an elementary school teacher, most extensively in SE Los Angeles. As a teacher, she designed a curriculum that challenged students to theorize and revolutionize their vision of how the world works through a scientific lens by giving examples of BIPOC leaders that use science to enact change and transformation in the world. After law school, she hopes to create a pro bono legal clinic that serves students and families in the SE LA area.
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Sereenah Soare '25
Sereenah Soare was born and raised in Los Angeles. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Howard University with a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Philosophy. While earning her degree, she worked as a coordinator for Howard’s recycling program. Additionally, she interned with the Misdemeanors Unit of the US Department of Justice, where she worked as a data analyst, completed several projects related to cases dismissed at court pre-trial, and participated in moot court. Her legal interests include trademark/patent law, real estate law, and business law, particularly mergers and acquisitions. Upon graduation, she plans to work as a transactional attorney.
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Michael Stallworth '25
Michael Stallworth earned two bachelor's degrees in Sociology and Black Studies from UC Santa Barbara in 3 years and graduated summa cum laude. While at UCSB, Michael co-founded a pre-law organization for Black students called Obsidian Pre-Law Association and completed the UCLA Law Fellows Program in 2019. Stallworth also won the “Michael D. Young Engaged Scholar Award” for his principled leadership and scholarly knowledge through his time at UCSB. Upon graduating from UCSB, Michael worked as a law clerk at Boucher LLP, where he assisted on sexual abuse cases against California Catholic Clergy members and employment law matters and completed the SEO Law Fellowship. Michael’s goal is to become a legal academic and attorney, where he will focus on the areas of litigation, civil rights, education policy, and policing.
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Amanda Cooke '24
Amanda Cooke earned her bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology, and Society with a focus in Communication and Media from Stanford University. During her time at Stanford, she worked with the Black Community Services Center to create spaces and curate events that promoted Black joy and community. These events ranged from concerts featuring Grammy Award-winning artists to fireside chats with alumni currently breaking barriers in various industries. Outside of school, she has worked for multiple music and media companies and hopes to serve as an advocate for artists and creatives throughout L.A. in the future.
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Samarah Jackson '24
Samarah Jackson is a Los Angeles native. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Occidental College, where she majored in Politics and minored in Philosophy. During her time at Occidental, Jackson was a leader focused on promoting social justice through her positions as President of the Black Student Alliance and an Organizer in the Coalition at Oxy for Diversity and Equity. She also was a Public Policy and International Affairs Law Fellow at the Goldman School for Public Policy. Since graduation, Jackson has worked in employee benefits, has been involved in Southern California political campaign organizing, and worked as a civil litigation paralegal. Jackson has interests in employment law, civil rights law, and tax law, particularly as it relates to tax-exempt organizations.
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Terry Allen '23
In addition to being a first-year law student, Allen is also a Ph.D. candidate in Education at UCLA. He has earned a bachelor’s degree in Rhetoric from UC Berkeley and a master’s degree in Education Policy from Columbia University. He is also a recipient of the Ford Foundation Fellowship and the Gates Millennium Scholarship. Upon graduating from UC Berkley, Allen interned for the White House and subsequently served President Barack Obama as an advanced associate. Since then, he has worked in various research and policy capacities dedicated to reshaping the United States’ criminal justice system. He is concerned with the structural features of the criminal justice system and the ways in which the U.S. political economy constrains already marginalized communities, particularly historically marginalized youth. Allen’s goal is to become a legal academic in areas of policing, education policy, juvenile and criminal justice administration, and civil rights.
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Amber Dean '23
After earning her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Vassar College, Dean worked as a paralegal at Root and Rebound, a legal reentry nonprofit in Oakland, CA. Among many of her duties in this capacity, she facilitated statewide record cleaning clinics and prescreened calls for legal reentry hotlines. Dean is passionate about and dedicated to ensuring that formerly and currently incarcerated people have access to the legal recourses. Her goal is to help people navigating the criminal justice system work through the structural barriers they may encounter. This includes issues relating to family reunification, record cleaning, occupational licensing barriers, and more. Dean plans to pursue a career in civil rights law or employment discrimination law.
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Nicole Powell '23
Powell was born and raised in Los Angeles. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount University (“LMU”), where she majored in Communication Studies and Journalism. For her work in establishing Harambe, a program modeled after freedom schools which provides college preparation and political education to high school students, and her collaborative efforts in coordinating an “Alternative Spring Break” trip on Anti-Racism, Powell was awarded LMU’s Marian Award. This is the highest service and leadership award conferred at LMU. Upon graduating, Powell moved on to Harvard Divinity School to pursue African-American religion studies. There, she continued her efforts to bring people together through community building. Powell oversaw the Prison Education Project, served as co-founder of the Harvard Low-Income Student Advocates, and established Harvard’s first-ever community food pantry. After graduating, she served as Assistant Deputy for Homeless Advocacy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.
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Hope Bentley '22
Hope Bentley earned her bachelor's degree summa cum laude from Texas Christian University, where she majored in psychology and minored in criminal justice and comparative race and ethnic studies. While at TCU, Bentley was a member of the campus Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the Student Government Association. She founded the Justice Coalition, a student-led organization that advocated for greater diversity among faculty and for a diversity requirement in the university's core curriculum. During her undergraduate years, she also interned with the Midwest Innocence Project and with a nonprofit law firm helping families of people convicted of drug-related charges. She aspires to work in the criminal justice arena in Los Angeles, either in criminal defense or with an organization focused on the effects of mass incarceration.
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Kennedy Willis '22
Kennedy Willis is a Los Angeles native. She earned her bachelor's degree from St. Catherine University in Minnesota, where she majored in political science and critical studies of race and ethnicity; and a master's degree in cultural anthropology from Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York, where she served as a student representative on the admissions and departmental elections committees. While in school and in between her undergraduate and master’s programs, Willis worked as a data analyst, coordinator and manager at organizations addressing fair housing, women’s health, access to mental health resources, education and environmental justice. She hopes to work in L.A. as an advocate for improving access, opportunity and outcomes for African American and other historically underrepresented communities. She also has interests in data security, government ethics, labor and environmental regulation and election law.