Students Awarded Equal Justice Scholarship and G. Rollie White Public Service Scholarship

The University of Texas School of Law has awarded its 10th Equal Justice Scholarship to Alexander Stamm. It also awarded the inaugural G. Rollie White Public Service Scholarship to Paige Duggins. Both scholarships are awarded to an incoming first-year student who has a demonstrated commitment to social justice. The students are selected through a competitive process, including an interview with a faculty selection committee.

“The law school is pleased to welcome these two outstanding incoming students,” said Eden Harrington, director of the William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law, which administers the scholarship programs. “Their commitment to public service is impressive and we look forward to helping each of them prepare for professional careers aimed at increasing access to justice.”

Alex Stamm, Equal Justice Scholar
Alex Stamm

Stamm graduated from The University of Texas at Austin, where he received his degree in Plan II and Government, with a minor in Philosophy. Since graduation, he has worked in Washington, D.C., at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) as the assistant to the deputy legal director and as a paralegal for the ACLU’s National Prison Project. “It has been inspiring to work closely with the dedicated and conscientious public interest lawyers at the ACLU who are pushing our criminal justice system to become more fair, effective and humane,” Stamm said. “I’m thrilled and honored for the opportunity to continue in that pursuit as a part of Texas’ public interest community.”

Stamm joins current scholars Kelsey Chapple, ’16, and Christopher Larson, ’15. This summer, Chapple is working for Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s litigation and law department, and Larson is working for the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. The most recent graduate of the program, Cassie McCrae, ’14, will clerk for U.S. District Judge Robert Chambers of the Southern District of West Virginia.

The Equal Justice Scholarship was established in partnership with the Texas Access to Justice Commission to increase access to justice in Texas. The scholarship’s scope has since been expanded to embrace post-graduate work outside Texas. The scholarship covers tuition and fees for three years of legal study. Stamm has committed to working on a full-time basis for three years after law school providing direct legal services to low-income individuals or groups at a nonprofit organization in the U.S.

Paige Duggins, G. Rollie White Public Service Scholar
Paige Duggins

Duggins graduated magna cum laude from Southwestern University, where she majored in English and Education, with a minor in Race and Ethnicity Studies. She was editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, a varsity soccer player and an intern with Senators Wendy Davis and Judith Zaffirini, the Texas Senate Higher Education Committee and the Texas Retirement System of Texas. This summer she is in South Africa studying human rights, conflict management and community development, and is working on a community service project at a home for street children. “My time in South Africa has really reinforced my desire to serve my community through the legal profession,” Duggins said. “I am passionate about public education and am excited to learn new ways to support sustainable community development through law and public policy.”

The G. Rollie White Public Service Scholarship is funded by a generous gift from the G. Rollie White Trust and is designed to help increase access to justice and encourage public service by students. It provides $15,000 each year for three years to an entering student with strong academic credentials and demonstrated commitment to public service who plans to pursue a legal career helping underserved populations.

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