Hometown: Queens, New York 

Undergraduate School: The City College of New York (CCNY) 

Undergraduate Major: Political Science, Minor in Art 

Areas of Interest: Criminal Law, Government, In-House Counsel, Human Rights 

Activities: Gates Ambassador; LALSA; Women in Law Initiative; Public Service Scholar 
 

Favorite part of being a Gates/Martinidez Scholar: The friendships and support I've received as a part of the program which has helped me succeed throughout law school. 

Hometown: Bogota, Colombia

Undergraduate School: New York University School of Culture, Education, and Human Development

Undergraduate Major: Double major: Studio Art; Philosophy

Areas of Interest: litigation, civil rights law, constitutional law, fashion law, art law
 

Activities: LALSA, Cardozo Art Law Society, Fashion Law Society, MLSA, Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy, Cardozo Library, OAG Social Justice Clinic

Favorite part of being a Gates/Martinidez Scholar: Being able to connect with fellow students and building a community of support, encouragement, and professional development. I know that I can rely on my fellow scholars, this network has been vital in making my transition into law school and the legal profession at large. 

Hometown: Teaneck, NJ

Undergrad School: New York University

Undergrad Major: Economics

Areas of Interest: Personal Injury, Business Immigration 

Activities: Gates Ambassador, BLSA, Cardozo Bet Tzedek, CDRCHS

Favorite part of being a Gates/Martinidez Scholar: The community and support! The Gates Program has been integral to my success in law school from day 1. It has provided opportunities for social bonding and professional development that I cherish deeply.

Hometown: Snellville, GA

Undergraduate: School: St. John's University - Queens

Undergraduate Major: Biology

Areas of Interest: Trademark, Copyright, Patent, and Business Law

Activities: Cardozo Dispute Resolution Competition Honor Society - Staff Editor, Black Law Students Club - Community Chair, Cannabis Law Society, Co-President

Favorite part of being a Gates/Martinidez Scholar: The Gates Scholar Program has helped ease my transition back into the classroom after seven years away from school, especially in an environment as rigorous as law school. It continues to be a reliable source of guidance and support as I navigate my path to success.

Hometown: Poughkeepsie, NY

Undergraduate: Binghamton University 

Undergraduate Major: Philosophy, Politics, and Law & Latin American and Caribbean Area Studies & Spanish (3 majors)

Areas of Interest: Mass Torts, Immigration, Sports Law

Activities: LALSA Vice President, LexisNexis Representative; going to the gym; playing and watching soccer; being active; watching movies; and spending time with my loved ones.

Favorite part of being a Gates/Martinidez Scholar: I had a support system from the moment I walked into Cardozo. It was comforting to know there was already a group of people I could connect with.

Undergraduate School: University of Texas at Austin

Undergraduate Major: Business + Human Rights and Social Justice 

Areas of Interest: Public interest law, primarily affecting women and under-represented populations. Civil Rights; Asylum, Refugee, and Immigration; Children's Welfare; Gender- and Race-Based Violence. 

Activities: Moot Court Honor Society; Women's Law Initiative; Christian Law Students Association; Gates & Martinidez Scholars; Public Service Scholar; Student Bar Association; New York Women's Bar Association; National Immigration Habeas Institute Fellow. 

Favorite part of a Gates/Martinidez Scholar: Even before orientation, I had a community of peers, upperclassmen, and faculty invested in my journey. As a first-generation law student, that meant everything to me when selecting a law school - and still does, two years in! 

Hometown: Bedford, New Hampshire 
Undergraduate School: Dartmouth College 
Undergraduate Major: Cultural Anthropology modified with Human-Centered Design 
Areas of Interest: Corporate, Entertainment, Trusts & Estates 
 

Extracurriculars: 
Cardozo Dispute Resolution Competition Honor Society (Executive Editor) 
Corporations (Teaching Assistant)
Clinical Intern, Entrepreneurship and Community Business Clinic
Cardozo Entertainment Law Society (Former Vice President)
Cardozo Black Law Students Association (Former Fundraising Chair)

Hometown: South Plainfield, New Jersey 
Undergrad School: Rutgers Business School - NB 
Undergrad Major: Finance with a minor in real estate 
Area of Interest: Real Estate 
 

Extracurricular/Experience:
Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights and Social Justice
(Staff Editor)
Lawyering & Legal Writing (Teaching Assistant) 
South Asian Law Student Association (Former Treasurer) 
Nathaniel E. Gates Scholar 

Hometown: Richmond, Virginia 
Undergraduate School: Wake Forest University
Undergraduate Major: Communication and Sociology with a concentration in Crime and Criminal Justice 
Areas of Interest: Entertainment, Intellectual Property, Music, and Corporate

Extracurriculars: 
Cardozo Arts and Entertainment Law Journal (Articles Editor) 
Intellectual Property Law Society (Former Entertainment Co-Chair)
Entertainment Law Society 

Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI

Undergraduate school: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Undergraduate major: Double Majored in Political Science and History

Areas of Interest: Intellectual Property, Fashion Law, and Appellate Practice. 

Extra Curriculars/Experiences: Managing Editor of Moot Court Honor Society and FAME Department TA.

SBA Position: President

Undergraduate School: NYU Tandon School of Engineering

Areas of Interest: Healthcare Law, Labor & Employment law, Immigration Law

Extracurriculars/Experiences: Moot Court Honor Society, Kathryn O. Greenberg Immigration Justice Clinic 

SBA Position: Vice President

Undergraduate School: Wake Forest University

Areas of Interest: Criminal Law, General Litigation, Sports & Entertainment Law, Public Interest 

Extracurriculars/Experiences: Acquisitions Editor on Cardozo Arts and Entertainment Law Journal, Law Fellow at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office

SBA Position: Secretary 

Undergraduate School: Tulane University 

Areas of Interest: Intellectual Property Law, Matrimonial Law

Extracurriculars/Experiences: Staff Editor on the Cardozo Dispute Resolution Competition Honor Society, Legal Extern at Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Judicial Intern at NY State Supreme Court Civil Division ADR Part  

SBA Position: Treasurer 

Undergraduate School: University of San Diego, Masters in Real Estate Finance at Fordham University 

Areas of Interest: Real Estate, Criminal Law 

Extracurriculars/Experiences: Cardozo Arts and Entertainment Journal (Former Staff Editor); Real Estate Association (Former President)

SBA Position: Student Director of Diversity and Inclusion

Undergraduate School: Vassar College

Areas of Interest: Public Interest/Public Service, Criminal Law, Prosecution, Anti-Violence Advocacy, Restorative Justice

Extracurriculars/Experiences: Executive Editor, Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights and Social Justice; Public Service Scholar, Public Service Scholars Program; Student Coordinator, Center for Public Service Law Legal Intern, Incarcerated Gender Violence Survivor’s Initiative at Sanctuary for Families; Public Corruption/Violent & Organized Crime Legal Intern at the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York; Trial Bureau Legal Intern at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office; Civil Rights Bureau Legal Intern at the Office of the Attorney General for the State of New York 

SBA Position: Student Trustee

Undergraduate School: NYU

Areas of Interest: Prison Reform, Public Defense

Extracurriculars/Experiences: Staff Editor on the Cardozo Journal for Equal Rights and Justice; Summer Intern at Legal Aid Society; Secretary, Cardozo First Generation Society, Staff Editor, Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice; Student Attorney, Death Penalty and Criminal Defense Clinic

SBA Position: Student Director of Events

Undergraduate School: Coastal Carolina University 

Areas of Interest: General Litigation, Public Interest and Public Service Law, Civil Rights Litigation

Extracurriculars/Experiences: Staff Editor, Cardozo Law Review; Judicial Intern with Judge Lara K. Eshkenazi, Eastern District of New York; Clinical Intern, Cardozo Civil Rights Clinic; Student Editor, Law & Literature Journal; Fellow, Floersheimer Law and Humanities Institute; Public Service Scholar

Michael Pollack is a Professor of Law and the Associate Dean for Faculty Development. Before joining Cardozo, Professor Pollack served as a Bigelow Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School. He also worked as a Trial Attorney in the Federal Programs Branch of the U.S. Department of Justice, defending major legislative and regulatory initiatives from constitutional and statutory challenges. Professor Pollack clerked for Justice Sonia Sotomayor of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Janice Rogers Brown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Professor Alex Reinert is the Director of the Center for Rights and Justice. He teaches Constitutional Law and was part of the legal team that successfully fought to end solitary confinement in New York State Prisons. He is currently part of an ACLU suit against the federal government for the separation of immigrant children from their parents. 

Professor Jessica Roth is the Director of the Jacob Burns Center for Ethics in the Law. She teaches Criminal Law and and has been a frequent commentator on CNN, MSNBC and elsewhere in the news on the Mueller investigation and the Impeachment Inquiry. She is a former prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York.

Professor Weinstein is the Co-Director, Heyman Center on Corporate Law and Governance. He began his career as a litigator at Munger, Tolles & Olson in San Francisco, after serving as a law clerk to Judge Edward R. Becker of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. He is a graduate of Haverford College, and received both his J.D (Order of the Coif) and Ph.D. from U.C. Berkeley. His research interests include antitrust, financial regulation, corporate law, and the history of the regulatory state. 

Saurabh Vishnubhakat is a Professor of Law and Director of the Intellectual Property and Information Law Program at Cardozo Law.  He is also a Research Fellow at the Duke Law Center for Innovation Policy and was the 2024–2025 Visiting Scholar at the NYU Law Engelberg Center on Innovation Law & Policy. Previously, he held joint appointments as a Professor of Law and Professor of Engineering at Texas A&M University. Professor Vishnubhakat’s expertise is in intellectual property, administrative law, and federal litigation, especially from an empirical perspective. His legal writings have been cited in federal judicial opinions, agency regulations and over two dozen Supreme Court briefs. His latest work is published or forthcoming in the Indiana Law Journal, the Washington and Lee Law Review, and the Iowa Law Review as well as in leading peer-reviewed life science and social science journals including Nature Biotechnology and the Journal of Economic Perspectives.