Baird Holm is proud to support the UNO Pre-Law Support Group, a cohort that has been organized to provide scholarships, resume/personal statement preparation, and advocacy for students at UNO so that they can become more knowledgeable about the legal profession (i.e., evaluating the varying occupations available in the profession, understanding and navigating the process of getting into law school, paying for law school, preparing for law school, and so on). Through the University of Nebraska Foundation, Baird Holm funds two awards to support UNO Pre-Law students who qualify based on the requirements listed below.
How Awardees are Selected
The UNO Pre-Law Cohort provides support to all pre-law students who reach out to them, however, they have historical and special connections to UNO students who are members of the Goodrich Scholarship Program and/or Project Achieve. Correspondingly, the two awards that we fund may be given only to UNO undergraduates enrolled in one or both of those programs. Additionally, awardees must have at least a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average at the time of the award and must have been active in the programming of the Cohort in the preceding 12 months. Awardees typically have their names placed in nomination before the Cohort’s Board of Directors by two co-directors of the Cohort, Drs. Carroll and Romero, and receive Board approval before being notified of their award. Awards are traditionally decided in late April/early May.
Baird Holm Initiative Award
In addition to the above requirements, awardees will have earned at least 50 credit hours at the time of the award, and they should have an academic plan that includes taking the LSAT within the next two years.
This award was instituted in 2015, with awards ranging between $150-$200. To date, ten scholars have received the award including five in May 2020.
Baird Holm Achievement Award
In addition to the above requirements, awardees will have earned at least 75 credit hours at the time of the award, and they should have a clear intention of taking or retaking the LSAT within the next 12 months if they have not already taken it.
This award was instituted early in the program (2009), with awards ranging between $500-$1200. To date, six scholars have received the award. No Achievement Award was given in 2020.
2020 Baird Holm Initiative Awardees
Barbara Barrientos
Goodrich scholar Barbara Barrientos is a first-generation student with majors in International Business, Management, and Legal Studies. Over the last two years, Barbara has been interning at Omaha Public Power District in project management. There she manages the scope, schedule, and budget of several different projects. After graduation in 2022, Barbara hopes to continue her education at law school.
Najmo Farah
Goodrich Scholar Najmo Farah is a first-generation college student, currently a junior majoring in Computer Science and Secretary of the Goodrich Organization.
Franchesca Espinoza Handlos
Martha Sanchez-Hernandez
Goodrich Scholar Martha Sanchez-Hernandez is a first-generation college student majoring in Psychology with a minor in Philosophy. A junior, Martha volunteers at Legal Aid, where she puts her bilingual/bicultural skills to good use with the organization’s clients. On campus, Martha is a member of PAD. Once she begins law school in the fall of 2021, she hopes to focus on either child advocacy or immigration.
Nina Washington
Goodrich Scholar Nina Washington is a first-generation college student majoring in Social Work. As an incoming junior, she hopes to gear her social work interest moreover on the criminal justice/criminal law field, and one day work on a Macro level to promote smarter decarceration in the jail and corrections system.