After Summer Position Cancelled, Rising 2L Heather Chang Gets Fellowship

Rising 2L Heather Chang was disappointed when Robins Kaplan, the firm where she planned to spend her 1L summer, announced that it was cancelling its summer program due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with the help of the Minnesota Law Career Center’s Wendy Griak, Chang was quickly able to pivot, applying for and procuring a summer fellowship through the Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program. 

The Displaced Student Stipend and Fellowship is available to women of color law students who just completed their first year of law school and lost their 2020 law firm or corporate placement as a result of COVID-19. The fund provides financial support and intensive professional development for displaced law students to do volunteer legal work that will provide meaningful training and skill development during the summer of 2020.
   
“I am excited to meet other women of color in the legal market and to develop professionally under their guidance,” says Chang. “Seeing other women of color, both peers and practicing attorneys, in the legal industry encouraged and excited me about my future and that of the industry.”

The fellowship started Monday and runs through the end of the month.

Chang is also fortunate that, notwithstanding the cancellation of its summer program, Robins Kaplan has been supportive. The firm has been “incredibly accommodating” in allowing her to connect with firm attorneys and learn about their experiences, she observes. 

The last few months, from the COVID-19 situation to the civil unrest after the killing of George Floyd, have only reaffirmed Chang’s resolve to pursue a career in law. “The law is unique in its ability to inspire hope and societal change and to provide security to those in need. I hope to be able to actively take part in the ongoing changes,” she says.