Announcing the 2015 Disability Scholarship Winner!

Christina N. Cooke

Injury Lawyer News was founded with the mission of promoting transparency and facilitating the flow of information. As such, we have long been staunch advocates of higher education. We’re very pleased to take the opportunity to give back to the community by offering the Injury Lawyer News Disability Scholarship Award, which is a $1,000 award that is available to pre-law and law students.

2015 scholarship recipient

This year’s scholarship recipient is Christina N. Cooke – a resilient young woman who will be attending Northwestern University School of Law. The Injury Lawyer News Disability Scholarship Award will assist Ms. Cooke as she works toward a career fighting for social justice and human rights. Ms. Cooke has already worked tirelessly as a grassroots social activist in her role as leader of a Girl Scout troop. She has also gained legal experience working in the District Attorney’s office for her community.

As a mentor for young Girl Scouts, Ms. Cooke strives to help them develop a broad understanding of issues pertaining to race, class, age, gender, ethnicity, sustainability, national origin, and sexual orientation. Ms. Cooke’s work with the next generation of leaders has already made her community a more promising place.

Scholarship requirements

The Injury Lawyer News Disability Scholarship Award established strict eligibility requirements for applicants. It was only open to pre-law and law students who were already accepted to or already attending an accredited U.S. college or university or an accredited U.S. law school. Additionally, the scholarship was only available to students who have a medically documented disability, which may have been either a learning disability or a physical disability.

Each of the scholarship applicants submitted a 1,500-to 2,000-word essay that addressed the following questions:

1. What are the greatest challenges you have had to overcome as a result of your disability?
2. What area of law do you intend to practice and why?

Ms. Cooke’s essay reflected wisdom beyond her years. She explained how she overcame challenges associated with her disability, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which was inflicted as a result of a violent attack. Although the legal system failed to bring Ms. Cooke the justice she deserved, her collective experiences have driven her to become a powerful voice for civil rights.

Injury Lawyer News is proud to support Ms. Cooke as she works toward her career objectives. We wish her the best of luck at Northwestern University School of Law, where Ms. Cooke will continue her tireless work providing legal advocacy services on behalf of victims of social injustice.