Stetson’s Pride Scholarship rewards students who fight discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identification
On Oct. 25, a crowd of faculty, students and alumni helped celebrate Stetson Law’s Pride Scholarship for students at an evening reception at the Mindy Solomon Gallery in St. Petersburg. Stetson Law alumni Matthew Bachman ’07, Elizabeth C. Barnes ’11, Thomas Yaegers ’05, and professors Robert Batey, Joseph Morrissey, Jason Palmer and Ellen Podgor joined the Pride Scholarship committee to show their support for law students who dedicate themselves to extracurricular activities and service related to LGBTQIA issues.
Stetson Law students, alumni and faculty gathered to support the Pride Scholarship at the Mindy Solomon Gallery on Oct. 25.
“The Pride Scholarship is an important component of Stetson’s efforts to assist students who give back to the community in this important and needed legal area,” said Professor Podgor.
“The law is rapidly changing in Florida and the country regarding the rights of the LGBTQIA community,” said alumna Elizabeth Barnes. “By sponsoring and promoting this scholarship, Stetson is not only showing its support for our community; it is also showing that the Stetson tradition of leadership and excellence extends beyond moot court and trial team. This scholarship fosters knowledge and leadership in Stetson students and alumni, empowering them to be leaders in a rapidly changing and important realm of the law.”
Since graduating this year, Barnes has joined the board of the Pinellas County ACLU.
“It is important to celebrate diversity among students, because by embracing diversity, the entire student body as a whole will be more successful,” alumnus Matthew Bachman said.
While he was still a student at Stetson Law a few years ago, Bachman was recognized by the Gulfport City Council for helping to expand the city’s human rights ordinance to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identification. Around the nation, more than 100 local city and county governments have anti-discrimination ordinances that include sexual orientation or gender identification.
To learn more about scholarship programs at Stetson Law, visit the Admissions page here. To learn more about giving to Stetson, call 727-562-7818 or e-mail [email protected].
Post date: Nov. 1, 2011
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
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