Farella Braun + Martel is pleased to announce the recipients of the firm’s 2021 Diversity Scholarship grants totaling $30,000 to Bay Area first-year law students Forogh Bashizada, Destiny Sarvis-Hooper, and Amir Wright.

For 21 years, the scholarships have been at the heart of Farella’s efforts to support outstanding diverse students on their way to becoming lawyers. The Diversity Scholarship program is open to 1L Bay Area law students of underrepresented groups whose background or personal experience would contribute to the diversity of the legal profession. Scholarship recipients are chosen based upon a combination of merit and financial need. To date, the firm has awarded $500,000 in scholarships to 83 Bay Area first-year law students.

“Congratulations to scholarship recipients Forogh Bashizada, Destiny Sarvis-Hooper, and Amir Wright! The selection committee deeply values your tenacity and your outstanding academic accomplishments, leadership, and dedication to the community,” said Brent Saldaña, partner co-chair of Farella’s Diversity Scholarship Committee. “We are privileged to be a part of your journey and look forward to celebrating your future successes.”

“The selection committee, comprised of Farella lawyers and members of FMC Corporation’s General Counsel’s office, was tremendously impressed by all the diversity scholarship applicants,” said Elizabeth Dorsi, senior associate co-chair of the Diversity Scholarship Committee. “We are grateful to the FMC lawyers who generously gave their time to partner with us in the selection process.”

Meet the 2021 scholarship recipients:

Forogh Bashizada attends the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. She is involved with the Berkeley Journal of International Law, First Generation Professionals, Women of Color Collective, Middle Eastern and North African Law Students Association, and Women of Berkeley Law. She is also a student advocate on a refugee case in a Student-Initiated Legal Services Project. Forogh received her B.A., summa cum laude, in political science and English from the University of Washington and was awarded the President's Medal. She will spend her summer as a legal and litigation intern at the International Refugee Assistance Project. 

Destiny Sarvis-Hooper attends the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. She is involved with the Berkeley Journal of Entertainment and Sports Law, Law Students of African Descent, Women of Color Collective, and First Generation Professionals. Destiny works with the East Bay Dreamers and Palestine Advocacy Legal Assistance Projects at Berkeley School of Law. While working full-time in the hospitality industry, Destiny earned her B.A., cum laude, in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Amir Wright attends Stanford Law School. He serves as associate editor for Stanford Law & Policy Review and as the 1L representative for the Black Law Students Association. Amir received his B.A. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley and was honored with the Priestley Award for Outstanding Leadership. During college, Amir served on the City of Berkeley’s Housing Advisory Commission. He also was a senator for the Associated Students of the University of California, co-chair of the Vice Chancellor’s Student Advisory Committee, and chair of the Student Advisory Committee on Financial Aid & Education. He will work with the Senate Committee on the Judiciary for Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) this summer.

Farella Braun + Martel is a leading Northern California law firm representing corporate and private clients in sophisticated business transactions and complex commercial, civil, and criminal litigation. Clients seek our imaginative legal solutions and the dynamism and intellectual creativity of our lawyers. We are headquartered in San Francisco and maintain an office in the Napa Valley that is focused on the wine industry.

Learn more about diversity + inclusion at Farella at https://www.fbm.com/diversity-inclusion/.

Contact:
Cheryl Loof
Farella Braun + Martel LLP
[email protected] / 415.954.4433