Application for Spring/Summer 2026
The Calhoun Family Fellowship at Seattle University School of Law was established through the generosity of The Calhoun Family, Seattle, WA, in 2018. First year students interested in working on issues of equal justice and race in the criminal legal system during Spring and Summer of 2025 are invited to apply to participate in the fellowship by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 10, 2025.
Please join us for an Info Session at Social Justice Monday on September 22, in Room C5 at noon. The session will be recorded and posted to the Calhoun Family Fellowship website.
This fellowship is comprised of three experiential components:
- Racial Justice Speaker Series (1L Spring Semester)
Fellows will have an opportunity to engage with lawyers, judges, those directly impacted by the legal system, and community advocates who are working on issues of race equity in the criminal legal system and beyond. Supported by this corps of guest speakers, the Calhoun fellowship supervisors will engage the fellows in regular discussions about the intersection of race and justice, as well as the challenges and opportunities that arise in racial justice advocacy. The weekly speaker series and group discussions begins the week of January 26 and runs through the week of April 20.
- Trip to Montgomery, Alabama (1L Spring Break, Week of March 23, 2026)
Fellows will travel to Montgomery, AL, to explore the legacy of slavery and the many forms of racial disparity in the criminal legal system by visiting Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum and Memorial.
- Paid Summer Fellowship (Summer 2026)
Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in racial justice advocacy and enhance their lawyering skills through a paid summer internship. Professors Lee and Levin, as well as past Calhoun Fellows, will collaborate with current fellows to find appropriate placements at external organizations working on race equity and/or social justice issues. Fellows and supervisors will meet as a cohort monthly through the summer to discuss their work and consider how they can use their talents to become leaders for equal justice.
Fellowship Supervision
Professors Jessica Levin and Melissa Lee, co-directors of the Center for Civil Rights and Critical Justice, supervise the speaker series and trip and will continue to serve as mentors during the paid summer internship.
Applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and list of three references to Melissa Lee, leeme@seattleu.edu, by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 10, 2025. The cover letter should discuss the applicant’s interest and experience in social justice, racial justice, and criminal legal system issues, including any experience working with impacted communities.
Finalists will be invited for an interview on either October 31 or November 7. In the cover letter, applicants should also indicate any periods during those two days in which they are not available. Fellows will be announced in mid-November.
