Scholarship helps first-generation law students buy books

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Yelky Perez set up her book scholarship for first generation lawyers.

It’s a noble project, considering Perez, 27, is just like them. Not only is the Teaneck resident the first in her family to attend law school, Perez is only one year ahead of the incoming Rutger Law School students she’s helping to pay for books.

Okay. Scratching your head, right? Hang on. Perez remembers the sticker shock last August, her first year, when she was accepted into Rutgers’ Minority Student Program (MSP), an initiative created in 1968 to improve the law school’s racial makeup.

Everything came to about $400, but Perez was able to manage, paying for books the first semester with a job she had along with help from her parents who kicked in for two books.

After she was hired as an intern in February with Lowenstein Sandler, a Roseland law firm, Perez figured she’d put aside $400 each from her first two weekly paychecks to help two students. She understood that it can be a hardship for minority students like her to foot the bill while adjusting to the rigors of legal training.

“This was my opportunity to do something,” Perez said.

She shared the idea with lawyers at the firm, and it caught on rapidly. Soon the attorneys there got behind the idea, and Perez had raised $9,450 to purchase 27 gift cards, each worth $350.

“The firm is supportive of these kinds of things,” said Craig Dashiell, a Lowenstein attorney, who is also a Rutgers alum and MSP member. “It’s great when it comes organically from the bottom up instead of the top down. This was a junior attorney who wasn’t afraid to bring this idea to other people.”

For the incoming MSP students, the gift was out of the blue and right on time.

Shelby Mitchell, 22, of Washington, D.C. didn’t have much money left after relocating to New Jersey and finding an apartment. Already low on funds, it didn’t help that her work study job had not started yet.

“If I didn’t have this book scholarship, I would have had to scramble some way to get my books,” Mitchell said. “I can’t even think of what I would do.”

Giving out the card this month reminded Perez of how someone helped her after she came to this country as an undocumented immigrant. She was 13, didn’t speak English, but learned fast and studied hard. By 15, Perez was the 2008 valedictorian at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in the Bronx, but she didn’t have any scholarship offers for college.

She wasn’t an American citizen, making her ineligible to receive any kind of financial assistance.

Catherine Chugranis, a former teacher at Stevenson, stepped in with the same generosity Perez has shown to help Rutger’s law students.

Perez raised money for books. Chugranis paid for her college education.

“I told her she inspired me to do this,” Perez said.

Perez was never her student, but Chugranis, said she was brilliant in all of her subjects and wanted to help, knowing that she would not be able to afford college.

“She’s now giving it back,” Chugranis said. “She’s going to keep passing it on and a lot of people are going to get help. That’s the name of the game. Help as many people as you can.”

A graduate of Baruch College in New York, Perez finished at the top of her class in the school of journalism and public affairs, a major in which she became an immigration activist.

“It put me on the right path,” Perez said. “I was doing protesting because I couldn’t be what I wanted to be.”

Doctor, accountant, lawyer - she had had aspired to each of those professions at one time or another, but all require a license.

Perez is no longer an illegal immigrant, but the issue remains close to her heart. After she married seven years ago, Perez was eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to obtain a green card and a path toward citizenship. Because of DACA, she was able to apply for law school. She’s eligible to be a citizen, but doesn’t forget about immigrants who want to be here legally.

“If I can help this person avoid deportation, I will,” she said.

Her focus for now is the law students, whom she selected after reading essays on why they should be considered. The decision wasn’t easy. Thirty-seven students applied and Perez said their stories made her cry.

One student wrote that women are only allowed to pursue education up to eighth grade in her country; another said he and his brother were the first men in their family not to have gone to jail. There was a refugee from Bosnia and a young man who had been supporting himself since his parents died.

The gift cards were not just a lift financially. Receiving them well before class starts is invaluable to students academically. They can get started on reading assignments to be prepared for class.

Otherwise, Perez said they would be behind, because many of them can’t purchase the books until they receive financial aid, assistance that generally arrives two weeks after class.

“There’s no way to catch up,” Perez said.

Argjenta Kaba, 22, of Wayne said the book scholarship helped to jumpstart her legal education and she praised Perez for having the wherewithal to be so thoughtful.

“It was so happy for me to see a person who is only a year above me doing so many good things,” Kaba said.

It’s not just the book scholarship. Perez has taken another page from Chugranis, a Rockland County, N.Y. resident, who has stayed in touch with her since high school.

Perez does the same thing with the students, checking in on them when she sees them on campus.

“She’s very willing to lend a hand,” said Kedar Venkataramani, 24, of South Brunswick. “I’ve seen her several times already. This is beyond the gift cards.”

Perez hopes to do the gift cards next year. It may not be 27, but Perez is going to help as many first generation lawyers as she can.

Online: https://bit.ly/2lvbmjZ

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Information from: NJ.com, http://www.nj.com