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Fellowship Program

Fellowship Program

Annually, the Center offers three or four Curt and Linda Rodin Social Justice Fellowships to law students to develop the skills needed to work with underserved individuals and communities through litigation, legislative and policy reform, or other work that strengthens communities.

This year four students will be selected as the 2025-2026 Curt and Linda Rodin Social Justice Fellows to help to promote social justice programming, service, and careers. The Rodin fellowship is intended to support students with strong leadership skills who are committed to careers in social justice and public interest work.  

Full-time 2L and Part-time 3L students are eligible to apply. (See application below.) Fellows will receive a total of $2785 per semester in tuition remuneration over their last three semesters (Total tuition support $8625) and a $6,000 summer stipend to support unpaid social justice and public interest work during the summer before their last year of law school. The fellowship is renewable based on satisfactory academic performance and full participation in program activities and a summer internship as described below. 

Fellowship expectations

  • Develop, lead, promote and participate in school and community programming related to social justice and public interest law.  
  • Complete a 10-week summer internship immediately before their last year of law school with a nonprofit or government agency engaging in social justice or public interest work in support of people living in poverty or otherwise facing oppression or marginalization (students can seek an exception to this requirement by proposing support for an unpaid internship at another entity which provides direct legal services to people living in poverty or otherwise marginalized); 
  • Complete the requirements for the Public Interest and Social Justice Certificate;  
  • Maintain academic good standing; 
  • Help plan and attend an annual Social Justice Symposium and other programs, events and activities sponsored by the Center.  
  • Commit, upon graduation, to serving, representing, or advocating on behalf of indigent persons, disadvantaged groups, or inadequately protected interests.  
  • Return to the Law School in person and/or virtually to meet with and mentor law students and report on their social justice work post-graduation.  

Selection criteria and process

Social Justice Fellows will be selected based upon their leadership potential and commitment to social justice work as demonstrated through activities and/or life experiences prior to and during law school. Diversity of background and experience and availability to engage in social justice and public interest activities and mentor other students is also highly valued.  

Interested students must submit a completed application, which includes: 

  • Application  Form Questions
  • 500-word essay
  • Resume 
  • Unofficial transcript for all law school coursework completed to date to ensure student is in academic good standing 

Fellowship applications will be accepted October 1, 2024, through October 31, 2024.  

Fellowship applications will be reviewed by the Rodin Fellowship Selection Committee in early November. Ten students will be selected for interviews with the Committee and 4 students will be offered a fellowship.  

For more information, contact Kate Mitchell, Rodin Center Director at kmitchell9@luc.edu. 

2024-2025 Rodin Student Fellows

Ally Hayes

Ally Hayes

Ally Hayes (she/her/hers) is a current 2L at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Prior to law school, Ally worked for the Missouri State Public Defender's Children's Defense Team. This experience inspired Ally to use her legal degree to amplify the voices of those impacted by the criminal and juvenile legal systems. At Loyola, Ally worked as a research assistant exploring the impact of electronic monitoring on youth, and she is also the President of the Public Interest Law Society. Ally spent her 1L summer with the Illinois Prison Project where she drafted clemency petitions for people incarcerated in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Currently, Ally works as a law clerk in the Cook County Public Defender’s Homicide Task Force.

Constance Young

Constance Young

Constance Young is currently a 2L. Over the summer she interned for the Federal Defender Program, where she was able to take a Federal Sentencing Guidelines and Trial Advocacy course, attend the Criminal Justice Seminar in Rockford, IL, attend MCC visits and court hearings, and more! Constance is also the Black Law Students Association President and a member of the Constance Baker Motley Mock Trial Team. One of her core values is volunteerism and Constance has given back to her community by participating in Know Your Rights trainings, hosting a holiday fundraiser for the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, and hosting a food drive for low-income individuals and families. Upon graduation, Constance plans to continue pursuing her interest in social justice by becoming a criminal defense attorney so she can be an active and effective advocate for individuals within marginalized communities.

René J. Valenzuela

René J. Valenzuela

René J. Valenzuela (he/him/his) is a 2L devoted to working at the intersection of education, criminal, and immigration law. During his 1L summer, René worked with Equip for Equality in their Special Education Clinic where he provided direct legal services to ensure students with disabilities had access to an appropriate education. Prior to law school, René was a fellow at the Immigrant Justice Corps in New York City where he worked with diverse communities to file affirmative immigration applications. René’s lived experiences inform his pursuit of a career in social justice. Upon graduation, he hopes to be a zealous legal advocate that works alongside marginalized communities in pursuit of a more equitable and just society.

Yael Pineda Chavez

Yael Pineda Chavez

Yael Pineda Chavez is a first-generation Mexican immigrant and a 2L at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and labor and workplace studies from UCLA. Yael was a community organizer and policy advocate in Los Angeles prior to law school. She was also an eviction defense paralegal at Bet Tzedek Legal Services and provided counsel and advice and other legal services to low-income immigrants and other marginalized communities. Yael spent her 1L summer interning at Impact for Equity where she conducted legal and policy research on the use of pretextual race-based traffic stops. Currently, Yael is a law clerk at Georges & Synowiecki Ltd.

Annually, the Center offers three or four Curt and Linda Rodin Social Justice Fellowships to law students to develop the skills needed to work with underserved individuals and communities through litigation, legislative and policy reform, or other work that strengthens communities.

This year four students will be selected as the 2025-2026 Curt and Linda Rodin Social Justice Fellows to help to promote social justice programming, service, and careers. The Rodin fellowship is intended to support students with strong leadership skills who are committed to careers in social justice and public interest work.  

Full-time 2L and Part-time 3L students are eligible to apply. (See application below.) Fellows will receive a total of $2785 per semester in tuition remuneration over their last three semesters (Total tuition support $8625) and a $6,000 summer stipend to support unpaid social justice and public interest work during the summer before their last year of law school. The fellowship is renewable based on satisfactory academic performance and full participation in program activities and a summer internship as described below.