OU Law Students Selected as Stevens

NORMAN, OKLA. – Six OU Law students have been awarded the prestigious Justice John Paul Stevens Public Interest Fellowship. Each will receive $6,000 for summer public interest work in underserved communities across the country.

Established by Justice Stevens’ former law clerks, the John Paul Stevens Foundation promotes public interest and social justice values in tomorrow’s lawyers by funding summer public interest fellowships at law schools nationwide.

This summer, the foundation doubled the number of fellowships at OU Law from 3 to 6 as part of a historic expansion of the number of Stevens Fellows to 158 at 38 law schools.

The Stevens Fellows from OU Law will be working for the following nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies:

•           Devraat Awasthi: Southern Center for Human Rights

•           Naya Bowe: Alameda County Public Defender’s Office

•           Margaret East: Office of the Cook County Public Guardian

•           Brenda Levenson: Catholic Charities of Oklahoma City

•           Stephanie Reyes: Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid

•           Ahmuan Williams: Legal Services Alabama

The Stevens Fellowships were established at OU Law thanks to Joseph Thai, a former law clerk to Justice Stevens who serves on the board of the Foundation and is the Associate Dean for Research and Enrichment and the Glenn R. Watson Centennial Chair in Law. With OU Law, Dean Thai and his wife Dr. Theresa Thai match the Stevens Foundation’s contribution towards the OU fellowships.

“Students who become Stevens Fellows get more than funding for their summer work. They join a growing cadre of alumni fellows across the country and connect with the close-knit network of former Stevens law clerks, many of whom have dedicated careers in public service,” said Thai.