Okemos, Michigan – White Law PLLC’s Paying It Forward – How My Degree Will Make a Difference Scholarship strives to help students secure the financial aid they need to pursue college degrees. The scholarship asks students to think critically about the communities they grew up in and how their degree might help them help those communities as they pursue post-collegiate careers.

This year, White Law PLLC and its team are proud to offer its $2,500 scholarship to Stephanie at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. Stephanie is a 3L preparing to wrap up her degree before taking the Bar Exam and practicing affordable housing law.

Stephanie’s video essay set her apart from the rest of the scholarship applicants due to its candor. Stephanie is frank about the cost of law school and the financial barriers that can keep unprepared students from graduating. 

She also emphasizes the steps she’s taken to mitigate that financial burden: as the first law student in her family, she works several jobs and maintains several side hustles to make ends meet.

What keeps Stephanie moving forward? She cites a deeply-rooted interest in Michigan’s affordable housing initiatives. Stephanie currently interns with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority and serves as a Teaching Assistant for the Affordable Housing Course at Detroit Mercy School of Law.

She refers to affordable housing law as a “fascinating area” and hopes that her education will make it easier for her to stand up for people who’ve been wrongfully denied housing or other forms of day-to-day support. She also expresses a deep interest in pro bono work.

Like many upcoming law school graduates, Stephanie is currently focused on studying for the July Bar Exam. When she passes, she’ll have an opportunity to put everything she’s learned about affordable housing law and public outreach into action as a private attorney.

White Law PLLC applauds Stephanie’s dedication to her community and hopes that its $2,500 scholarship will help make her final law school semester a little less stressful. The team wishes Stephanie the best of luck with her Bar Exam preparations and looks forward to hearing about her achievements once she enters the legal field.

Students looking to follow in Stephanie’s footsteps will have the opportunity to apply for the Paying It Forward – How My Degree Will Make a Difference Scholarship in 2025.