Application for Spring/Summer 2025
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 5:00pm on Friday, November 8, 2024.
Please join us for an Info Session on October 22, in Room 109 at 12:00. 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 20 and runs through the week of April 14.
- Trip to Montgomery, Alabama (1L Spring Break, March 18 — March 21, 2025)
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 and engaging in discussions about racial justice work with EJI staff.
- Paid Summer Fellowship (Summer 2025)
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 racial justice related issues. Fellows and supervisors will meet as a cohort biweekly 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, list of three references, and a short writing sample to Jessica Levin, levinje@seattleu.edu, by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 8, 2024. 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. In the cover letter, applicants should also indicate any periods they are not available for an interview during the following time periods: Wednesday, November 20, 12:00-4:00 p.m. and Friday, November 22, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Finalists will be invited for an interview during the week of November 18, 2024. Fellows will be announced the week of November 25.
