For the fifth year running, Keller & Keller has partnered with UNM to grant scholarship funds to first-year law students who've demonstrated the desire to further their legal education. A total of $10,000 is awarded each year, and we're proud to announce the 2017 winners here!

Congratulations to the winners of the 2017 Keller & Keller Law School Challenge!

(View 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 winners here.)

Lizdebeth Carrasco-Gallardo - $5000

Lizdebeth Carrasco-Gallardo, winner of the 2017 Keller & Keller UNM Law Scholarship.Lizdebeth Carrasco-Gallardo graduated Cum Laude from the University of New Mexico in 2015 with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Spanish. Lizdebeth is originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, but has lived in Albuquerque since the age of five. As a student, she has excelled in her studies despite the adversities she has faced in her path.

Before attending law school, Lizdebeth worked for the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center (NMILC) as a Department of Justice Accredited Representative where she represented crime victims in obtaining immigration benefits. Lizdebeth was also NMILC's first paralegal in the Equal Justice Works Fellows Program and is the first fellow to be accepted into law school.

Lizdebeth is currently in her first year at University of New Mexico School of Law, where she is a WKKF sponsored Child and Family Justice Scholar, a designated scholar for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, and a Keller & Keller LLC Scholarship recipient. Lizdebeth is passionate about helping others, creating social change, and plans to continue advocating for justice for all once she becomes an attorney.

Joel Lobo - $3000

Joel Lobo, winner of the 2017 Keller & Keller UNM Law Scholarship.Joel was born and raised in an East Indian family who moved to the USA in 2005. As a child, he loved music, fashion, film, theater and the other arts and went on to graduate from Colorado State University in 2015 with a Bachelor’s in Apparel Design and Production and a minor in Business Administration. His love for the legal field was born when he took Business Law for his minor degree and after two years of working in Los Angeles, he returned to Albuquerque to pursue law.

His drive for research and analytic creativity drove him to intern at the Albuquerque Public Defender’s Office for nine months where he conducted research, transcribed interviews, reorganized files and assisted with pre-trial interviews.

The University of New Mexico School of Law School accepted Joel into their Juris Doctorate program for Fall 2017. Since then he was elected the Faculty representative for the Student Bar Association and the treasurer for Lambda Law Student Organization.

Evelyn Ibarra-Ortiz - $2000

Evelyn Ibarra-Ortiz, winner of the 2017 Keller & Keller UNM Law Scholarship. Evelyn is a member of the Class of 2020 at the University of New Mexico School of Law. She graduated from the University of New Mexico in 2015 with a Bachelor’s in Criminology and Spanish.

Evelyn is a first-generation Mexican-American originally from Long Beach, California but has been living in New Mexico for 9 years. Having worked for Enlace Comunitario a local non-profit, which helps those who are experiencing domestic violence, she looks forward to continuing advocating for marginalized communities.

 

 

 

 

 

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