Four UC Law students receive scholarship awards recognizing leadership, community service

Congratulations to University of Cincinnati College of Law students Justeen Jackson, Joele Newman, Abby Adu and Megan Hasson, who have been recognized as recipients of the Black Lawyers Association of Cincinnati (BLAC) scholarship awards. The awards were bestowed upon them at the recent 31^st Annual BLAC Scholarship & Awards Banquet.

Graduating law student Justeen Jackson is the recipient of the William A. McClain Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to an African American law student who has demonstrated leadership potential and a dedication to the Cincinnati community. Jackson (’24), a Cincinnati native, is a graduate of the University of Miami in Oxford, OH. Her journey towards advocacy began as a summer scholar in the Summer Work Experience in Law (SWEL) program, a collaboration between the BLAC and the Cincinnati Bar Association Round Table. Since then, she has pursued her passion for public interest law, undertaking internships at the Ohio Justice and Policy Center, the prestigious Ohio Innocence Project (OIP), and several public defenders’ offices. Throughout her law school experience, Jackson has been involved in the Black Law Student Association (BLSA) as a volunteer mentor and co-chair of the mentoring partnership between BLSA and Cincinnati Public High School’s Hughes STEM High School.

First-year law student Joele Newman is the recipient of the Theodore M. Berry Scholarship, recognizing her strong leadership qualities and commitment to the community. After graduating from Miami University, Newman (’26) transitioned to Cincinnati, OH where she worked as a community organizer and youth program facilitator at a nonprofit organization. She also worked on local grassroots campaigns across Cincinnati that focused on affordable housing and equitable development. Newman drafted and advocated for local legislative policies that benefited the community’s most vulnerable residents and mobilized citizens to be civically engaged at the grassroots level. At UC Law, she is a member of BLSA, an elected representative to the Student Legal Education Committee (SLEC), and a Fellow in the Judge Nathaniel R. Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice. She also competed in the Sixth Annual KMK Law Student Diversity Case Competition. earning third place with her competition partner Megan Hasson.   

Megan Hasson, a first-year law student, received the Shanda L. Spurlock Memorial Scholarship for her demonstrated leadership potential and dedication to the Cincinnati community. Hasson (’26) is a graduate of Old Dominican University. Though only a first-year student, Hasson has had significant accomplishments at UC Law. After being accepted to UC Law, she was one of few students selected as “pre-admittance fellows” for the prestigious Ohio Innocence Project. This year, Hasson will work as a Fellow, learning about the causes of wrongful conviction while gaining significant experience as she works as an advocate, meeting with clients and assisting with court filings. Her work as an advocate for the wrongfully convicted has been complemented by her active involvement in the Criminal Law Society as a 1L representative and her performance in the Sixth Annual KMK Law Student Diversity Case Competition, earning third place with her competition partner Joele Newman.

Abigail Adu, also a first-year law student at UC Law, has been honored with the Judge Nathaniel R. Jones Memorial Scholarship in recognition of her academic achievements and strong commitment to community service. Adu (’26) is a graduate of Trevecca Nazarene University. Her strong commitment to academic excellence led Adu to receive the highest grade in the class for both her Fall Contracts and Legal Research and Writing classes. She is a Fellow with the Nathaniel R. Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice at the college. She also volunteers through Cincinnati’s Youth Court Program, a diversion program for teenagers with minor offenses. In addition, she works as a gymnastics coach at the Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy. This summer, Adu will be externing at the law firm Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP.

These four students exemplify the values of leadership, service, and academic excellence, and their achievements are a testament to their dedication to making a positive impact in the legal profession and beyond.

Founded in 1833, the University of Cincinnati College of Law has the distinction of being the first law school west of the Alleghenies. From humble beginnings 190 years ago in a room above Timothy Walker’s law offices to its home today, Cincinnati Law has been on the leading edge of legal education. Thousands of lawyers have graduated from the law school, and about one-third practice in the Greater Cincinnati community, working in all areas of the law. For more information about the College of Law, visit www.law.uc.edu.

Photos: Black Lawyers of Cincinnati