Abby Moskowitz, Class of 2017, will be Vanderbilt Law School’s first Garrison Social Justice Scholar.
Available to students preparing for social justice careers, the Garrison Social Justice Scholarship provides a supplemental annual scholarship for the second and third years of law school along with stipend support for unpaid work experiences in social justice or public interest organizations during the two summers prior to graduation.
Moskowitz will spend summer 2015 in Nashville working for the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee.
A native of Silver Spring, Maryland, Moskowitz earned her undergraduate degree at Haverford College and spent a year working for AmeriCorps before joining Philadelphia Legal Assistance as a paralegal. Her work there confirmed interest in public advocacy. She entered Vanderbilt Law School last fall as a Dean’s Scholar.
“I loved my time at Philadelphia Legal Assistance,” she said. “I learned so much about working with people from different backgrounds. I had direct contact with clients and learned what it’s like to deal directly with the legal issues in front of you.”
Endowed by Amy Price Garrison (BA’79) and Frank M. Garrison ’79 (BA’76) through the Amy and Frank Garrison Social Justice Law Fund the Garrison Social Justice Scholarship supports students who are committed to social justice and public interest careers. Law students may apply for the scholarship in the spring of their 1L year.
As a first-year law student, Moskowitz became motivated to pursue a career in public interest law by her growing realization of “just how much access to legal representation is often limited to those who can afford phenomenally high fees,” she said. “I want to help people who won’t otherwise have access to legal advocacy and advice.”
Moskowitz’s scholarship award was announced by G. Todd Morton, Vanderbilt Law’s Dean of Admissions. “Abby is clearly dedicated to public service and eager to use her legal training to address inequality and injustice,” Morton said. “She’s in a perfect posture to take full advantage of the many resources and opportunities available in the Social Justice Program and the public interest community at VLS.”
