2022 – Nicole Smith

Nicole Smith has a longstanding commitment to serving those who typically lack access to the justice system. Nicole graduated from Washington University School of Law in 2019, but her commitment to public interest law began while she was still in law school. She interned at the Missouri Public Defender’s Office, the Illinois Office of the […]

2021 – Alyssa Phillips

Alyssa K. Phillips, a 2017 graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School, is already making a remarkable impact in her legal career as an Education Staff Attorney at Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. She advocates and provides legal assistance for the educational rights of homeless students in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs through outreach, […]

2020 – Martin Cozzola

Martin can trace the origins of his strong commitment to public service back to his childhood. The son of a psychologist and a long-time legal aid attorney, Martin’s parents instilled in him the belief that we are all responsible to improve society. His career in public service is a natural extension of this belief. A […]

2019 – Sue Pak

Sue Pak’s commitment to public service and serving vulnerable communities began well before she attended law school. With a Master of Divinity from Trinity International University, Sue worked for almost 13 years in various ministry settings that served low-income, disenfranchised communities. In these roles, she witnessed firsthand the need for these communities to have access […]

2018 – Lydia J. Sharp

Lydia J. Sharp, a 2016 cum laude graduate of IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, already is making a remarkable impact in her legal career as an Equal Justice Works Fellow at Equip for Equality. She provides outreach and legal advocacy to people with disabilities who have been sexually abused or trafficked in Illinois and conducts […]

2017 – Sarah Hess

For Sarah Hess, helping others is not just a calling, but a family tradition. Sarah’s late father was a leading activist in Chicago’s school reform movement, championing equal educational rights for the city’s poorest students as the director of the Chicago Panel on School Policy. Determined to carry on his legacy of advocacy for our […]

2016 – Amanda Walsh

Amanda Walsh, a 2015 graduate of Loyola University Chicago School of Law, already is making a huge impact in her legal career at the Legal Council for Health Justice. Bridging the social service and legal systems, Amanda established the first children’s behavioral health medical-legal partnership in Illinois with Mt. Sinai Hospital’s Under the Rainbow outpatient […]

2015 – Candace Moore

Candace Moore, a 2013 graduate of Loyola University Chicago School of Law, is a staff attorney at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (CLCCRUL). As an intern at CLCCRUL during law school and later as a volunteer, Candace helped establish the organization’s Education Equity Project, which she continues to focus her work on […]

2014 – Catherine Longkumer

Catherine Longkumer’s deep commitment to protecting the rights of human trafficking victims began in college when she first read about sexual slavery as part of a book study. These stories had a profound impact on Catherine and would become a driving force of her career. Not satisfied to simply read about the problem, she took action and spent a month in Thailand…

2013 – Daniel M. Hochbaum

Daniel Hochbaum is an Equal Justice Works Fellow with Equip for Equality’s Special Education Clinic. At Equip for Equality, Daniel established the Learning Disabilities Project, which provides direct legal representation, self-advocacy education and outreach to Chicago’s low-income children with learning disabilities and their families.