FIU Law presented three scholarships during annual judicial panel event

Three FIU Law students were recently presented with scholarships during the Black Law Students and the Caribbean Student Bar Association’s Third Annual Judicial Panel – Paving the Way to Judicial Success. The scholarships awards totaled more than $30,000 and are named after Florida Supreme Court members Justice Barbara J. Pariente, Justice R. Fred Lewis and Justice Peggy A. Quince. Justice Quince presented the recipients with their awards.

From left to right: Chanel Rowe, Altanese Phenelus, Justice Peggy A. Quince, Franco Bacigalupo and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs & Associate Professor of Law Tawia Ansah.

Second year law student, Franco Bacigalupo received the Justice Barbara J. Pariente Scholarship in recognition of his pursuit of earning a judicial externship and his commitment to the judicial system. A native of Peru, Bacigalupo is the first in his family to attend professional school. He is a member of the FIU Law Review and treasurer of the International Law Students Association. Before law school, Bacigalupo worked as a legal intern at the “Part of the Solution” clinic in New York where he helped those in need connect to and work with government agencies. He currently serves as a judicial intern in the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals for Judge Adalberto Jordan.

Chanel Rowe is a third year law student and received the Justice R. Fred Lewis Scholarship for demonstrating exemplary professionalism. She is a first-generation college graduate and will be the first attorney in her family. Rowe is the Executive Business Editor of the FIU Law Review, and a member of the FIU Board of Advocates. She spent this past summer working as an associate in the Miami office of the international law firm, Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. where she will work as litigation associate following graduation. Rowe has served as the FIU liaison for the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. Bar Association and held leadership positions on both local and regional boards of the National Black Law Students Association.

Receiving the Justice Peggy A. Quince Scholarship was third year law student Altanese Phenelus. Phenelus is the first in her family to pursue a higher education. She holds an executive board position on the FIU Law Review as the president of the National Conference of Law Reviews.  Phenelus has held an executive board position in the Black Law Student’s Association and remains an active member of the organization. Following her victory at the 2012 FIU Law Moot Court Competition, Phenelus earned a spot on the FIU Law Moot Court Board. She has been honored with the CALI Excellence for the Future Awards for her scholastic achievements in federal courts, civil procedure, and constitutional law. During the summer of 2013, Phenelus clerked at the Miami-Dade County Attorney’s Office where she will begin her career in September 2014.

Last year, the College of Law awarded more than $1.5 million dollars in merit and need-based scholarships and grants to students.