Touro Law Student Earns Association of Black Women Attorneys' Scholarship

May 4, 2015

Touro Law Center Dean Patricia Salkin is pleased to announce that third-year student Monsurat Abedbanjo has been named a 2015 Ruth Whitehead Whaley Scholarship Recipient by the Association of Black Women Attorneys. Monsurat is one of only two law students to receive this honor.

“Monsurat is a dedicated and hard-working student,” stated Dean Salkin. “She has been a leader among our students and I am confident that she will continue to shine as she begins a legal career.” 

The Association of Black Women Attorneys (ABWA) is dedicated to promoting the pursuit of legal education by minority students through its annual Ruth Whitehead Whaley Scholarship fund, named in honor of the legal pioneer and first African-American woman admitted to the New York Bar. The ABWA Ruth Whitehead Whaley Scholarship honors law students who strive beyond the rigors of law school to demonstrate a commitment to public interest or civil rights law and actively participate in community services. 

Monsurat stated, “I am honored to be recognized by ABWA. As if the recognition was not enough, being in the presence of so many successful and influential attorneys of color who actively make a difference was inspiring. To be seated at the table with Honorable Sheila Abdus-Salaam, Judge Priscilla Hall and Judge Tanya Kennedy was a privilege. I will treasure that moment for a long time to come.”  She continued, “It has been through community involvement and dedication to my education that I have developed my self-worth. Having a law degree will provide me with the ability to not only follow my dreams, but also, the ability to give back to my community.”

Monsurat grew up believing she would one day be a lawyer and received encouragement from family and friends even from a young age. Upon graduation in May 2015, she plans to practice in Commercial Contracts and Intellectual Property in the Media and Entertainment field.

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Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center’s 185,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art law school is located adjacent to both a state and a federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York. Touro Law’s proximity to the courthouses, coupled with programming developed to integrate the courtroom into the classroom, provide a one-of-a kind learning model for law students, combining a rigorous curriculum taught by expert faculty with a practical courtroom experience. Touro Law, which has a student body of approximately 650 and an alumni base of more than 6,000, offers full- and part-time J.D. programs, several dual degree programs and graduate law programs for US and foreign law graduates. Touro Law Center is part of the Touro College system.

Touro Law’s newly implemented Portals to Practice is a cutting-edge, experiential learning program that reconceives and restructures the law school experience. Portals to Practice expands the scope and quality of legal education by focusing on the development of legal professionals, from pre-law through post-graduation. 

About the Touro College and University System 
Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 19,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro College has branch campuses, locations and instructional sites in the New York area, as well as branch campuses and programs in Berlin, Jerusalem, Moscow, Paris and Florida. New York Medical College, Touro University California and its Nevada branch campus, as well as Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please go to: http://www.touro.edu/media/.

For more info contact:
Patti Desrochers
Director of Communications
pattid@tourolaw.edu
(631) 761-7062

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