The 2021 recipients of the annual Baker Donelson Diversity Scholarship are Briana J. Butler, Brianna N. Caldwell and Sabrina Marquez.
The scholarship recipients are participating in Baker Donelson's 2021 Summer Associate Program, a class of 39 future attorneys, more than half of whom are diverse.
Ms. Butler, a graduate of the University of Memphis and a second-year law student at The University of Memphis, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, is serving as a summer associate in the Firm's Memphis office.
Ms. Caldwell graduated from Mississippi College and is in her second year at the Mississippi College of Law. She is serving as a summer associate in Baker Donelson's Jackson office.
Ms. Marquez, a graduate of the University of Maryland, is a second-year law student at the University of Baltimore School of Law and is a summer associate in the Firm's Baltimore office.
The three recipients were selected from 286 applicants attending 98 law schools across the country, including Harvard Law School, Cornell University Law School, Georgetown University Law Center, Vanderbilt University Law School, Washington University School of Law (St. Louis), Belmont University College of Law, University of Florida Levin College of Law, University of Notre Dame Law School, University of North Carolina School of Law, Arizona State University College of Law, and University of Alabama School of Law.
Baker Donelson's Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Mark A. Baugh said, "Over the last 13 years, Baker Donelson's Diversity Scholarship Program has helped nearly 30 law students bring their diverse perspectives and experiences to the legal profession. We're proud of the work we have done but know there is much more to be achieved. The fact that we had far more applicants this year than in any previous year shows that there are people of all types of backgrounds who want to be lawyers. It is incumbent on all of us in this industry to ensure that people representing the full spectrum of our society have every opportunity to enrich our profession with their voices and ideas."
Established in 2008, the Baker Donelson Diversity Scholarship Program awards scholarships annually to diverse law school students who have completed their first year of law school. Each recipient receives a salaried second year summer associate position in one of the Firm's 21 offices. Upon completion of the summer associate position, the Firm also awards each recipient a $10,000 scholarship during the student's third year of law school. The deadline to submit applications for the 2022 scholarship positions is May 31, 2021. More information is available here.