Diversity Scholar Recipients

Diversity Scholar Recipients

Diversity Scholar Recipients

Overview

Encouraging diversity and inclusion within the field of ADR

The Diversity Scholarship Fund was established by the AAA-ICDR Foundation through a special gift by the American Arbitration Association. The Fund provides diverse students/professionals with up to $2,000 of financial assistance towards participation in a degree program or fellowship in alternative dispute resolution or attendance at a well-recognized conference. The mission of the Diversity Scholarship Fund is to encourage diversity and inclusion within the field of ADR by supporting the pursuit of knowledge and skill development through training experiences that encourage inclusive leadership growth in 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.
$631K+
IN GRANTS FUNDED
The Foundation has funded $631,777 in Diversity Scholarship Grants.
$1,549
AVERAGE DIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP GRANT 2023
The average Diversity Scholarship grant amount in 2023. The Average HBCU Diversity Scholarship Grant in 2023 was $16,000.
162
SCHOLAR RECIPIENTS
Since inception, the Foundation has awarded 162 Diversity Scholarships.

Historically Black Colleges and University Scholarship Recipients

2023 Historically Black Colleges and University Scholarship Recipients

No other data found for this selected year.

Historically Black Colleges and University Scholarship Recipients

2023 Historically Black Colleges and University Scholarship Recipients

No other data found for this selected year.

Scholar Recipient

2022 Scholarship Recipient

2021 Scholarship Recipient

2020 Scholarship Recipient

2021 Scholarships Totaled $39,605.
2020 Scholarships Totaled $12,463.
The AAA-ICDR Foundation is proud to support the following scholars:
The AAA-ICDR Foundation is proud to support the following scholars:
Victoria Mourenza

Scholar

Victoria Mourenza

Argentina

SCHOOL

UT Law School

My name is Victoria Mourenza, an exchange student from Argentina studying at UT Law School. I participated in the FINRA Securities Dispute Resolution Triathlon this year and it solidified my objective of studying to become a mediator. I believe this summit will help me understand how ADR works in the US and, together with what I have learned in Argentina, build a much more complex and inclusive perspective on the topic.

GRANT AMOUNT

$1,300

PROGRAM

AAA Diverse Student Summit

Scholar Recipient

2022 Scholarship Recipient

2021 Scholarship Recipient

2020 Scholarship Recipient

2021 Scholarships Totaled $39,605.
2020 Scholarships Totaled $12,463.
The AAA-ICDR Foundation is proud to support the following scholars:
The AAA-ICDR Foundation is proud to support the following scholars:
Eva Litina

Scholar

Eva Litina

Athens, Greece

School

Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Virtual Diploma in International Maritime Arbitration

Dr. Eva Litina is a Legal Expert at the Hellenic Consumers’ Ombudsman, and an attorney-at law admitted to the Athens and New York bars. She completed her PhD thesis in International Maritime Arbitration at the Department of Shipping, Trade and Transport of the University of the Aegean whereshe is also teaching commercial law.

She studied law at the University of Athens and received her Master of Laws from New York University School of Law. For her research, Eva has been granted university-funded scholarships from the University of the Aegean. She has also been awarded the Comité Maritime International (yCMI) Essay Prize 2020, the International Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section Scholarship 2017, and scholarships from the Max Planck Institute Luxembourg for International, European and Regulatory Procedural Law in 2017 and the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law in Hamburg in 2018.

Her monograph entitled ‘Theory, Law and Practice of Maritime Arbitration: The Case of International Contracts for the Carriage of Goods by Sea’ was published with Kluwer Law International. Eva is also an LMAA Supporting Member and Vice Chair of the Community Building, Networking & Scholarship Committee of Racial Equality for Arbitration Lawyers (REAL).

Given her academic expertise in maritime arbitration and strong interest in a career as a maritime arbitrator, the CIArb Diploma in International Maritime Arbitration provides an opportunity for her to achieve Fellowship of CIArb. She aims to deepen her knowledge on legal principles, process, practice and procedure in international maritime arbitration, the processes followed by an arbitrator in defining the issues that have to be decided by an award, dealing with the submissions made by the parties, analyzing the applicable law, evaluating the evidence and award writing.

Grant Amount

$2,000

Annie Maria Adikin

Scholar

Annie Maria Adikin

Makerere University Uganda, East Africa

School

London Summer Arbitration School

My name is Annie Maria Adikin. I am a second year at Makerere University School of Law, Uganda. I am currently building my knowledge in alternative dispute resolution particularly in international arbitration.
I intend to contribute towards changing the narrative of fewer African law students pursuing international arbitration. With the experience of taking part in the 30th Annual Willem C. Vis Moot, belonging to Africa in the Moot and attending the London Summer Arbitration School, I intend to launch the Arbitration for Young Minds in Africa, an initiative that will introduce law students and young legal practitioners to the field of international arbitration.
I have demonstrated talent in international arbitration by emerging as the best individual oralist in the East Africa Vis Pre-Moot in Nairobi, Kenya that was organised by Africa in the Moot. This pre-moot attracted teams from East, West and South Africa that were taking part in the 30th Annual Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot that was to later be held in Vienna, Austria in April. I thus look forward to carving a career in international arbitration as a legal practitioner.

Grant Amount

$2,000

Dr. Iryna Eihelson

Scholar

Dr. Iryna Eihelson

Dr. Iryna Eihelson Ukraine

ABOUT

A Researcher, trainer, educator, dialogue facilitator, PhD in Psychology, Dr. Eihelson has 20 years of experience in the prevention, reconciliation and transformation of identity-based conflicts (ethnic, religious, languages conflicts etc.), in particular in AR Crimea and other multicultural regions of Ukraine, Moldova/Transnistria, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan. She is a co-author of educational materials and a trainer in peace and multicultural education since 2004. Since 2015 has been facilitating dialogues with the support OSCE Project Coordinator in Ukraine, other internationals (like International Alert, dvv- International, IOM, IRI) and Ukrainian organizations on the issues of decentralization, amalgamated communities, conflicts in media community, language issues in education with the representatives of national minorities, memory conflicts, migration and integration of internally displaced people relations etc. She is the author of over 30 research papers in the sphere of dialogue facilitation, intercultural adaptation, memory conflicts, ethnic psychology and ethnic conflicts. She is a Member of the Eastern European Network of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict — GPPAC, in 2008- 2019 was a regional representative in GPPAC Peace Education Working Group.

Grant Amount

$750.16

PROGRAM

Trauma-Informed Peacebuilding: Insights from Ukrainian Social Psychologist Dr. Iryna Eihelson

Prabha Sankaranarayan

Scholar

Prabha Sankaranarayan

Philadelphia, PA

ABOUT

Prabha Sankaranarayan is the President and CEO of Mediators Beyond Borders International, (https://mediatorsbeyondborders.org/) an international impact organization whose mission is to build local skills for peace and promote mediation worldwide. She is committed to partnership, as evidenced by the organization’s collaboration with over 130 organizations globally. She co/leads MBBI’s partnership with Rotary International, a global network of 1.2 million members, with NAFCM, a North American network of over 300 mediation centers and the recently formed TRUST Network the first Early Warning and Response platform in the USA. She is a conflict transformation practitioner who has mediated, facilitated and trained in Europe, Asia, Africa and the USA. Her public and private sector work includes conflict analysis for public/private partnerships, consultation & assessment for industrial development zones, design and implementation of trainings for multinational corporations; inter faith dialogues as well as facilitation of multi-stakeholder mediations. Prabha is involved in regional, national and international civic activities focused on civil liberties, violence prevention, conflict mitigation & mediation and the recovery & rehabilitation of trauma survivors. She serves on the ASEAN Regional Forum’s (ARF) Expert and Eminent Persons (EEP) Group for the US Government. Her current Advisory & Board appointments include The Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, VISIONS Inc. (a DEI organization in USA) and Women’s International Peace Center (WIPC in Uganda).

Grant Amount

$750.16

PROGRAM

Trauma-Informed Peacebuilding: Insights from Ukrainian Social Psychologist Dr. Iryna Eihelson

Isabella de Assis Godoy

Scholar

Isabella de Assis Godoy

Humbolt, CA

School

Humbolt University, IDR LLM at Humbolt

As a qualified Brazilian lawyer, a Latin-American queer woman, and a cancer survivor, I believe that my unique perspective and experiences would make a valuable contribution to the field of international dispute resolution. I have been accepted into the International Dispute Resolution (IDR LL.M.) program at Humboldt University for the class of 2022/2023. Pursuing this degree has been a long-standing goal of mine, and I am honored to have been selected for this competitive program.
In addition to my legal qualifications, I have also been working with legal design towards a more accessible law environment. As a designer and legal professional, I recognize the importance of using creative and innovative approaches to improve legal accessibility and understanding, particularly for underrepresented groups. I believe that my experience in legal design will be an asset to the field of dispute resolution.
Furthermore, I am myself an advocate for diversity and inclusion in the arbitration sphere. I have been working as a volunteer with the Moot Alumni Association (MAA) in the D&I team, where I have contributed to initiatives aimed at increasing representation and promoting equal access to opportunities within the field. I am passionate about the potential for arbitration to foster greater social justice and equality, and I am excited to continue this work as a student and future practitioner.

Grant Amount

$2,000

Luis Brugal

Scholar

Luis Brugal

Geneva Switzerland

ABOUT

Luis is a Dominican qualified lawyer with experience in international dispute settlement and international economic law. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) in Santo Domingo, where he graduated with honors Magna cum laude. During his law studies, he was editor and chief of publications for the UNIBE Law Review.

He worked at the International Legal Defense Department of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the Dominican Republic as a member of the State’s legal team on investor-state arbitrations, particularly in the construction, agriculture, and transport industries; as well as trade disputes before the World Trade Organization (WTO). Concurrently, he contributed as a member of the negotiating team for trade and investment treaties and represented the Dominican Republic as a delegate to Working Group III of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), which discusses the reform of the current investor-state dispute settlement system. His work experience also extends to the private
sector, where he dedicated several years to civil, commercial, and administrative litigation while working at a prestigious law firm in the Dominican Republic.

Grant Amount

$2,000

PROGRAM

Geneva LL.M. in International Dispute Settlement program

Xenia Campas Gene

Scholar

Xenia Campas Gene

New York, NY

School

Cardozo School of Law

My name Xènia Campàs Gené, I am a lawyer from Spain with a Master’s in Sports Law and currently undertaking an LLM in Dispute Resolution and Advocacy at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, which I will finish in May. As a student looking to work in the field of ADR, I am eager to participate in the ABA’s 25th Annual Dispute Resolution Spring Conference as a scholarship recipient conference and gain valuable insights and knowledge from industry experts.
I have been following the ABA’s 25th Annual Dispute Resolution Spring Conference for several years now and have always been impressed by the caliber of speakers and the depth of content covered. I am particularly interested in the ethics and inclusion topics that will be discussed and am eager to learn more about the latest trends and best practices in the area of arbitration.

Grant Amount

$2,000

Judith Lam

Scholar

Judith Lam

Los Angeles, CA

ABOUT

Judy is a Partner in Maynard's Litigation Practice. With 25 years of experience in commercial litigation, Judy primarily focuses on matters of complex business disputes in the areas of banking and finance, real estate and construction, business torts, and fraud and investment schemes. She positions the client’s case to the best advantage, with aggressive trial advocacy or skillful negotiation and resolution. Judy is also a trained mediator and arbitrator, currently serving on the panels of FINRA and the American Arbitration Association.
Judy devotes time pro bono cases serving immigrant communities and various bar and community organizations. She is very engaged in cross-cultural communication and speaks Spanish and Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin) with varying degrees of proficiency.

Grant Amount

$2,000

PROGRAM

Arbitration Training Institute

Harshitha Senthilkumaran (Ram)

Scholar

Harshitha Senthilkumaran (Ram)

East Lansing, MI

School

Michigan State University

I’m a young attorney under 40 of Indian Origin—with practice experience in multiple jurisdictions
including India, the UK, the EU, ASEAN, and the USA. I’ve presented at several workshops, training, and conferences on ‘Microaggressions in dispute resolution – Diverse Neutral standing’ and many specific topics of interest focusing on the diversity of ADR neutrals. I’ve presented at both state and national levels including the annual conferences of the State Bar of Michigan and the National Legal Education Conference.
To me, inclusion and diversity are ingrained. My vision is a good and just world where people are content, fulfilled, and have equal opportunities. I was recently quoted by Ms. Jeanne Charles, Arbitrator & Mediator-Federal impasses panel (appointed by President Biden) for my diversity activism in ADR and particularly labor and employment arbitration. I’m Currently chairing the Michigan Dispute Resolution Journal initiative (Diversity and inclusion action team) State Bar of Michigan. I’m an active participant/member of the diversity group and minority arbitrators promoting awareness programs and participating in weekly meetings for minority arbitrators.
With focused advanced training in arbitration practice, I will continue to share knowledge with fellow minority ADR practitioners for improved support within the minority ADR community. My career goals include improving low-functioning areas of ADR workspace to promote diversity and inclusion, increasing professional knowledge and adequate training, expanding the ADR network, and advancing to a leadership position in ADR groups amongst other things.

Grant Amount

$2,000

PROGRAM

Arbitration Training Institute

Aisha M Suleiman

Scholar

Aisha M Suleiman

Malibu, CA

School

Pepperdine School of Law

Aisha is currently an LLM Student of International Commercial Arbitration at Pepperdine University. She serves as the Vice President of the Pepperdine International Arbitration Society. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK), California Arbitration (Cal. Arb), Young-OGEMID, and Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, Nigeria.
Before enrolling at Pepperdine, Aisha held a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Laws from Ahmadu Bello University Nigeria, where she specialized in Intellectual Property Laws. She has also been certified to teach by the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN). She is a licensed Attorney admitted to practice law in Nigeria. Her professional approach and research areas include Arbitration, mediation, Intellectual Property Law and Employment Law.
As a Muslim African woman who has experienced firsthand the ugly effect of inter-religious and interethnic conflicts across Nigeria, she is passionate about utilizing her career to bridge the conflict gaps arising from these differences.

Grant Amount

$2,000

Apply for the Diversity Scholarship.