Diversity Scholar Recipients
Diversity Scholar Recipients
Encouraging diversity and inclusion within the field of ADR
In addition to these individualized grants, the AAA-ICDR Foundation has established diversity scholarships at Howard University and North Carolina Central University, two historically Black colleges and universities that offer certificates in dispute resolution programs in their law schools.
Both scholarships involve a three-year commitment of $150,000, $50,000 annually, to award scholarships to second- or third-year law school students in certificate in dispute resolution programs. Scholarship recipients will be selected yearly, in September, by each law school.
Historically Black Colleges and University Scholarship Recipients
2023 Historically Black Colleges and University Scholarship Recipients
Historically Black Colleges and University Scholarship Recipients
2023 Historically Black Colleges and University Scholarship Recipients
Scholar Recipient
2022 Scholarship Recipient
2021 Scholarship Recipient
2020 Scholarship Recipient
Scholar
Luis Heras
New York
SCHOOL
City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law
Luis Heras is a second-year full-time law student at the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law. He is an aspiring litigator interested in employment litigation, white-collar defense and investigations, and alternative dispute resolution practices. At his law school, he is engaged in Moot Court, Law Review, the Latin American Law Students Association, and the Black Law Student Association. He is also a Teaching Assistant for Legal Writing and a member of the American Bar Association Litigation Section. He currently interns at Mintz Group, which is a due diligence and investigation firm. This past summer, he served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Judge Nelson S. Román of the United States District Court, Southern District of New York, in White Plains, New York. Before law school, he worked for three years at the Center for Court Innovation after graduating from the University at Albany, State University of New York, with a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Criminal Justice.
GRANT AMOUNT
$670
PROGRAM
AAA Diverse Student Summit
Scholar
Marco Graniel
Texas
SCHOOL
University of Houston Law Center
Marco Graniel was born in Los Angeles, California. He loved his formative years in Southeastern and Central Mexico and moved to Houston, Texas for high school and beyond. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in Spanish at the University of Houston - Downtown in 2010. He worked for the Drug Enforcement Agency and translated Houston Rockets online articles before becoming a 1st grade teacher at Crespo.
After nine years of teaching elementary and middle school students, Marco decided to pursue a law degree at the university of Houston Law Center with the purpose of advocating for underrepresented and underserved communities in Houston, with a focus on undocumented migrants. Working full-time as a middle school teacher while attending law school in the evenings allowed Marco to stay disciplined and focus on his purpose. During his summer breaks, he interned with Justice Gordon Goodman at the First District Court of Appeals in Houston and Judge Ignacio Torteya at the U.S. District Courts for the Southern District of Texas in Brownsville, Texas.
He recently started a position as a multilingual program specialist with the Houston Independent School District where he supports teachers and administrators at different campuses. His aim is to provide the tools and best practices necessary for emergent bilinguals’ English language acquisition and development. In addition to taking a full course load in the evenings, Marco is the Recent Developments Editor for the Journal of Consumer and Commercial Law and has recently joined UHLC’s ADR team. His goal is to work for a litigation boutique firm with a strong alternative dispute resolution side.
GRANT AMOUNT
$1,300
PROGRAM
AAA Diverse Student Summit
Scholar
Morenike Erinkitola
New Orleans
SCHOOL
Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
Morenike Erinkitola is a 3L at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. Prior to attending law school, the Chicago native enjoyed a successful career in hospitality. She later transitioned to working in state party politics after graduating from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Ms. Erinkitola currently serves as the ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section’s Law Student Vice Chair. She is the Student Bar Association’s Social Events Co-Chair, the Alternative Dispute Resolution Society’s Alumni and Events Chair, and a member of the PACE Environmental Law Moot Court team at Loyola. She is also a Rule XX student practitioner in the misdemeanor section of the Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic & Center for Social Justice. Ms. Erinkitola studied abroad in London this past summer while earning her Certificate in Global Arbitration: Law and Practice from Mitchell Hamline Law School. Outside of school, Ms. Erinkitola serves as the Judicial Independence Fellow for CourtWatch NOLA. In her free time, she enjoys being a mentor to first-year law students and cooking for her friends. Ms. Erinkitola hopes to become an arbitrator and settle international commercial disputes after graduation.
GRANT AMOUNT
$1,300
PROGRAM
AAA Diverse Student Summit
Scholar
Nermeen Karyaquos
Pennsylvania
SCHOOL
Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law
I am a 3L at Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I am a first generation American whose family immigrated from Egypt. As the first in my family to go to graduate school and become an attorney, I hope that I can make a difference by using my diverse background and experiences to help others who find themselves in conflicts. After law school I will be working at a firm, but I am hopeful to eventually find my way in the world of mediation and arbitration.
GRANT AMOUNT
$1,300
PROGRAM
AAA Diverse Student Summit
Scholar
Nicholl Paulerio
Texas
SCHOOL
University of Houston Law Center
Nicholl Paulerio is a 3L at the University of Houston Law Center, graduating in Spring 2023. A Houston native, she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Religious Studies from the University of Houston. Nicholl is a first-generation law student. Her studies focus on corporate law and international Oil and Gas, complementing her employment as a specialist in Data Protection at Oceaneering, an energy services company in Houston. She also is an active member of the UHLC National Alternative Dispute Resolution Competition Team and was a 2022 finalist placing 2nd in South Texas College of Law’s Energy Law Negotiation Competition. She enjoys both litigation and transactional work. Post-graduation, Nicholl hopes to continue working in corporate law and aspires to standardize dispute resolution practices and skills into the corporate industry.
GRANT AMOUNT
$1,300
PROGRAM
AAA Diverse Student Summit
Scholar
Olivia Fortunato
New York
SCHOOL
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
Olivia Fortunato is a student at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York. She serves as co-chair of the TV/film committee for the Entertainment Law Society and entertainment committee for the Intellectual Property Law Society. Olivia is a member of Cardozo’s ADR Competition Honor Society and recently competed in the FINRA Securities Dispute Resolution Triathlon. She has had the pleasure of interning with Sony Music Entertainment and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. Prior to law school, Olivia worked at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts as the Associate Producer of Public Programming. She is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music where she studied music business and harp performance and continues to work professionally as a harpist.
GRANT AMOUNT
$670
PROGRAM
AAA Diverse Student Summit
Scholar
Sanzida Talukder
New York
SCHOOL
City University of the School of Law
Sanzida Talukder is a full-time 2L student at the City University of the School of Law. She is completing a dual degree program — a Masters in International Affairs and a Juris Doctorate. She was born and raised in the Bronx and has previously worked at the local community boards. She has a passion to improve the quality of life of individuals in struggling communities through the legal system. As a current research associate at Neville Peterson LLP, she has the opportunity to engage in mediation as a form of dispute resolution. She is eager to learn more about alternate dispute resolution and how she can advance her career in alternative dispute resolution. Sanzida hopes to use ADR as a tool to increase access to justice.
GRANT AMOUNT
$670
PROGRAM
AAA Diverse Student Summit
Scholar
Sylvia Elena Davila
Mexico
SCHOOL
Facultad Libre de Derecho de Monterrey
Sylvia is a Mexican Law Student at Facultad Libre de Derecho de Monterrey (“FLDM”). She is at the top of her class and will be graduating in December 2022. She is currently writing her final article of investigation in the effectiveness of Arbitration for Business and Human Rights disputes. She has worked at different law firms, and currently she is part of the legal staff of Hogan Lovells in its Monterrey Office. During her time in Law School, she has participated in different student associations. She was a member of the 2020 FLDM Student Council. She is an active member of Salinas Martinez Inn Chapter of Phi Delta Phi and served as Vice-Magister of such Chapter for the 2021-2022 term. Additionally, she is a member of the International Law Society at FLDM.
As a sign of her commitment with her community, she drafted a proposal to amend the General Law for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Mexico in order to expand the scope of education and labor rights. Sylvia has a strong passion for ADR. She has been involved in Moots regarding Arbitration, obtaining significant results and awards. Additionally, she is a member of the founding group of FLDM International Arbitration Association. Finally, she has a deep interest in public and private International Law and aspires to become a successful arbitrator and mediator.
GRANT AMOUNT
$1,300
PROGRAM
AAA Diverse Student Summit
Scholar
Tony Reed
Nebraska
SCHOOL
University of Nebraska College of Law
I am a second-year law student at the University of Nebraska College of Law. As a non-traditional student, I previously worked in human resource management and in media marketing. I have many career interests, but am especially passionate about civil rights on college campuses and thus have a strong interest in institutional equity and compliance in higher education. Specifically, I would like to glean how schools can design and bring to life alternative dispute systems to provide informal resolution for Title IX complaints. Secondly, I would like to offer ADR services to address the unique needs of the LGBTQ community in Nebraska.
GRANT AMOUNT
$1,300
PROGRAM
AAA Diverse Student Summit
Scholar
Xiaoyu Huang
New York
SCHOOL
Columbia Law School
Xiaoyu Huang (he/him) is a J.D. candidate at Columbia Law School, where he is the development editor of the American Review of International Arbitration and received the Vivian Wu Yen Fellowship in honor of Michael I. Sovern. He graduated with an A.B., with honors, from Brown University in 2021. Before law school, Xiaoyu was the co-founding vice president of Pansophy Education Institute, an education company based in Vancouver, Canada.
GRANT AMOUNT
$670
PROGRAM
AAA Diverse Student Summit
Scholar Recipient
2022 Scholarship Recipient
2021 Scholarship Recipient
2020 Scholarship Recipient
Scholar
Luis Heras
New York
School
City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law
Luis Heras is a second-year full-time law student at the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law. He is an aspiring litigator interested in employment litigation, white-collar defense and investigations, and alternative dispute resolution practices. At his law school, he is engaged in Moot Court, Law Review, the Latin American Law Students Association, and the Black Law Student Association. He is also a Teaching Assistant for Legal Writing and a member of the American Bar Association Litigation Section. He currently interns at Mintz Group, which is a due diligence and investigation firm. This past summer, he served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Judge Nelson S. Román of the United States District Court, Southern District of New York, in White Plains, New York. Before law school, he worked for three years at the Center for Court Innovation after graduating from the University at Albany, State University of New York, with a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Criminal Justice.
GRANT AMOUNT
$670
Program
AAA Diverse Student Summit
Scholar
Marco Graniel
Texas
School
University of Houston Law Center
Marco Graniel was born in Los Angeles, California. He loved his formative years in Southeastern and Central Mexico and moved to Houston, Texas for high school and beyond. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in Spanish at the University of Houston - Downtown in 2010. He worked for the Drug Enforcement Agency and translated Houston Rockets online articles before becoming a 1st grade teacher at Crespo.
After nine years of teaching elementary and middle school students, Marco decided to pursue a law degree at the university of Houston Law Center with the purpose of advocating for underrepresented and underserved communities in Houston, with a focus on undocumented migrants. Working full-time as a middle school teacher while attending law school in the evenings allowed Marco to stay disciplined and focus on his purpose. During his summer breaks, he interned with Justice Gordon Goodman at the First District Court of Appeals in Houston and Judge Ignacio Torteya at the U.S. District Courts for the Southern District of Texas in Brownsville, Texas.
He recently started a position as a multilingual program specialist with the Houston Independent School District where he supports teachers and administrators at different campuses. His aim is to provide the tools and best practices necessary for emergent bilinguals’ English language acquisition and development. In addition to taking a full course load in the evenings, Marco is the Recent Developments Editor for the Journal of Consumer and Commercial Law and has recently joined UHLC’s ADR team. His goal is to work for a litigation boutique firm with a strong alternative dispute resolution side.
GRANT AMOUNT
$1,300
Program
AAA Diverse Student Summit
Scholar
Morenike Erinkitola
New Orleans
School
Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
Morenike Erinkitola is a 3L at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. Prior to attending law school, the Chicago native enjoyed a successful career in hospitality. She later transitioned to working in state party politics after graduating from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Ms. Erinkitola currently serves as the ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section’s Law Student Vice Chair. She is the Student Bar Association’s Social Events Co-Chair, the Alternative Dispute Resolution Society’s Alumni and Events Chair, and a member of the PACE Environmental Law Moot Court team at Loyola. She is also a Rule XX student practitioner in the misdemeanor section of the Stuart H. Smith Law Clinic & Center for Social Justice. Ms. Erinkitola studied abroad in London this past summer while earning her Certificate in Global Arbitration: Law and Practice from Mitchell Hamline Law School. Outside of school, Ms. Erinkitola serves as the Judicial Independence Fellow for CourtWatch NOLA. In her free time, she enjoys being a mentor to first-year law students and cooking for her friends. Ms. Erinkitola hopes to become an arbitrator and settle international commercial disputes after graduation.
GRANT AMOUNT
$1,300
Program
AAA Diverse Student Summit
Scholar
Nermeen Karyaquos
Pennsylvania
School
Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law
I am a 3L at Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I am a first generation American whose family immigrated from Egypt. As the first in my family to go to graduate school and become an attorney, I hope that I can make a difference by using my diverse background and experiences to help others who find themselves in conflicts. After law school I will be working at a firm, but I am hopeful to eventually find my way in the world of mediation and arbitration.
GRANT AMOUNT
$1,300
Program
AAA Diverse Student Summit
Scholar
Nicholl Paulerio
Texas
School
University of Houston Law Center
Nicholl Paulerio is a 3L at the University of Houston Law Center, graduating in Spring 2023. A Houston native, she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Religious Studies from the University of Houston. Nicholl is a first-generation law student. Her studies focus on corporate law and international Oil and Gas, complementing her employment as a specialist in Data Protection at Oceaneering, an energy services company in Houston. She also is an active member of the UHLC National Alternative Dispute Resolution Competition Team and was a 2022 finalist placing 2nd in South Texas College of Law’s Energy Law Negotiation Competition. She enjoys both litigation and transactional work. Post-graduation, Nicholl hopes to continue working in corporate law and aspires to standardize dispute resolution practices and skills into the corporate industry.
GRANT AMOUNT
$1,300
Program
AAA Diverse Student Summit
Scholar
Olivia Fortunato
New York
School
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
Olivia Fortunato is a student at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York. She serves as co-chair of the TV/film committee for the Entertainment Law Society and entertainment committee for the Intellectual Property Law Society. Olivia is a member of Cardozo’s ADR Competition Honor Society and recently competed in the FINRA Securities Dispute Resolution Triathlon. She has had the pleasure of interning with Sony Music Entertainment and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. Prior to law school, Olivia worked at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts as the Associate Producer of Public Programming. She is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music where she studied music business and harp performance and continues to work professionally as a harpist.
GRANT AMOUNT
$670
Program
AAA Diverse Student Summit
Scholar
Sanzida Talukder
New York
School
City University of the School of Law
Sanzida Talukder is a full-time 2L student at the City University of the School of Law. She is completing a dual degree program — a Masters in International Affairs and a Juris Doctorate. She was born and raised in the Bronx and has previously worked at the local community boards. She has a passion to improve the quality of life of individuals in struggling communities through the legal system. As a current research associate at Neville Peterson LLP, she has the opportunity to engage in mediation as a form of dispute resolution. She is eager to learn more about alternate dispute resolution and how she can advance her career in alternative dispute resolution. Sanzida hopes to use ADR as a tool to increase access to justice.
GRANT AMOUNT
$670
Program
AAA Diverse Student Summit
Scholar
Sylvia Elena Davila
Mexico
School
Facultad Libre de Derecho de Monterrey
Sylvia is a Mexican Law Student at Facultad Libre de Derecho de Monterrey (“FLDM”). She is at the top of her class and will be graduating in December 2022. She is currently writing her final article of investigation in the effectiveness of Arbitration for Business and Human Rights disputes. She has worked at different law firms, and currently she is part of the legal staff of Hogan Lovells in its Monterrey Office. During her time in Law School, she has participated in different student associations. She was a member of the 2020 FLDM Student Council. She is an active member of Salinas Martinez Inn Chapter of Phi Delta Phi and served as Vice-Magister of such Chapter for the 2021-2022 term. Additionally, she is a member of the International Law Society at FLDM.
As a sign of her commitment with her community, she drafted a proposal to amend the General Law for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Mexico in order to expand the scope of education and labor rights. Sylvia has a strong passion for ADR. She has been involved in Moots regarding Arbitration, obtaining significant results and awards. Additionally, she is a member of the founding group of FLDM International Arbitration Association. Finally, she has a deep interest in public and private International Law and aspires to become a successful arbitrator and mediator.
GRANT AMOUNT
$1,300
Program
AAA Diverse Student Summit
Scholar
Tony Reed
Nebraska
School
University of Nebraska College of Law
I am a second-year law student at the University of Nebraska College of Law. As a non-traditional student, I previously worked in human resource management and in media marketing. I have many career interests, but am especially passionate about civil rights on college campuses and thus have a strong interest in institutional equity and compliance in higher education. Specifically, I would like to glean how schools can design and bring to life alternative dispute systems to provide informal resolution for Title IX complaints. Secondly, I would like to offer ADR services to address the unique needs of the LGBTQ community in Nebraska.
GRANT AMOUNT
$1,300
Program
AAA Diverse Student Summit
Scholar
Xiaoyu Huang
New York
School
Columbia Law School
Xiaoyu Huang (he/him) is a J.D. candidate at Columbia Law School, where he is the development editor of the American Review of International Arbitration and received the Vivian Wu Yen Fellowship in honor of Michael I. Sovern. He graduated with an A.B., with honors, from Brown University in 2021. Before law school, Xiaoyu was the co-founding vice president of Pansophy Education Institute, an education company based in Vancouver, Canada.
GRANT AMOUNT
$670
Program
AAA Diverse Student Summit