Sturm College of Law 2023 Grads Earn Public Interest Fellowships

The University of Denver is excited to share that more than a dozen 2023 Sturm College of Law graduates earned public interest fellowships, which will allow them to launch their careers in nonprofits and federal government agencies.

Alexi Freeman, Associate Dean and Director of Externships and Social Justice Initiatives, shared: “Public service fellowships typically attract candidates from across the country. They are incredibly difficult to get, but these graduates have worked tirelessly and dedicated countless hours to public interest and justice work locally and beyond. We are so proud of their commitment to serve the public good.”

The following Denver Law graduates earned fellowships in 2023:

Isabel Dufford received an Equal Justice Works Fellowship to practice family law on behalf of Indigenous and Native American communities in Denver with Colorado Legal Services.

Adam Estacio will join the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division in Washington, DC through the Attorney General's Honors Program Fellowship.

Sonia Gomez will join the Internal Revenue Service’s Office of Chief Counsel in Washington, DC as an Honors Attorney.

Pelecanos was awarded the Daniel H. Renberg Law Fellowship to practice civil rights at Lambda Legal.

Three students were awarded Immigrant Justice Corps Fellowships to join nonprofit organizations serving immigrant communities:

• Mariah Melena will work with the Mid-South Immigration Advocates in Nashville, Tennessee in their Unaccompanied Minors program.
• Jennifer Sturman will join the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center’s Unaccompanied Children's Program.
• Caitlyn Wallace will work with the Immigration Center for Women and Children in Los Angeles, California.

Andrew Ferland, Morgan Richardson and Rachel Wilson will join the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Region VIII Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity in Denver through HUD’s Equal Opportunity Specialist Fellowship.

The University of Denver also runs its own fellowship, the Colorado Civil Justice Corps, funded by the Office for Victims Programs, Department of Public Safety, Colorado Division of Criminal Justice, to help grow the number of lawyers serving nonprofits in Colorado. The following 2023 law school graduates have been awarded CCJC fellowships to provide civil legal services to survivors of crime:

• Alexander Holmes will work with the Justice and Mercy Legal Aid Clinic in Denver.
• Stephen May will join Colorado Legal Services in Colorado Springs.
• Hanaã Obeidat will join The Center for Trauma & Resilience in Denver.
• Madeline Rodgers will work with Bringing Justice Home/Crossroads Safehouse in Fort Collins.