KU News Release

LAWRENCE — Nineteen University of Kansas School of Law students have received stipends to complete summer volunteer work for the benefit of communities in Kansas and beyond.

Thanks to alumni and faculty support and the fundraising efforts of two student organizations, the law school was able to award stipends totaling more than $25,000. The students will serve underrepresented populations and tackle difficult legal questions in Kansas, Arkansas, California, Missouri, New York, Texas and Washington.

KU Endowment manages funds for the stipends. They include:

— Brown-Giffin Public Interest Fellowships to Kelly Cochran, Mission; Heidi Nowotny, Weston, Mo.; and Christine Walters, St. Louis, Mo.

— Davenport Public Interest Fellowship to Jatin Patel, Lusaka, Zambia.

— Jana Mackey Public Interest Fellowships to Shannon Fisher, Lawrence; and Mary Kathryn Means, Oskaloosa.

— Women in Law Public Interest Fellowship to Alberto Gonzalez, Queens, N.Y.

— Public Interest Law Society Public Interest Fellowships to Jonathan Ruhlen, Valley Falls; and Eric Sader, Salina.

— Board of Governors Public Interest Fellowships to Sean Foley, Prairie Village; Neftalem Habtemariam, Seattle, Wash.; Carlos Hernandez, El Paso, Texas; Leilani Leighton, Orangevale, Calif.; Marchant Martinelli, Glenview, Ill.; Daniel Press, Overland Park; Adil Saleem, Sugar Land, Texas; Sam Schirer, Wichita; Madeline Simpson, Mission Hills; and Melissa Vancrum, Overland Park.

KU Endowment is the independent, nonprofit foundation serving as the official fundraising and fund-management organization for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment was the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.

Students are listed below by hometown, parents’ names, high school, public interest stipend and name and place of summer internship.

DOUGLAS COUNTY
From Lawrence 66046
Shannon Fisher, daughter of Terri Reintjes and Jim Fisher; Lawrence High School; Jana Mackey Public Interest Fellowship; Franklin County Attorney’s Office, Ottawa.

JEFFERSON COUNTY
From Oskaloosa 66066
Mary Kathryn Means, daughter of Butch and Sue Means; Jefferson County North High School; Jana Mackey Public Interest Fellowship; Missouri State Public Defender’s Office, Liberty, Mo.

From Valley Falls 66088
Jonathan Ruhlen, son of David and Elizabeth Ruhlen; Jefferson County North High School; Public Interest Law Society Public Interest Fellowship; Legal Aid of Western Missouri, Kansas City, Mo.

JOHNSON COUNTY
From Mission 66202
Kelly Cochran, daughter of John and Michelle Cochran; Shawnee Mission East High School; Brown-Giffin Public Interest Fellowship; Kansas Legal Services, Topeka.

From Mission Hills 66208
Madeline Simpson, daughter of Grover and Mary Beth Simpson; Shawnee Mission East High School; Board of Governors Public Interest Fellowship; Douglas County Citizen Review Board and Douglas County Juvenile Clerk, Lawrence.

From Overland Park 66209
Daniel Press, son of Michael and Carol Press; Blue Valley North High School; Board of Governors Public Interest Fellowship; Judge Steve Leben, Kansas Court of Appeals, Topeka.

From Overland Park 66212
Melissa Vancrum, daughter of Robert and Joyce Vancrum; Shawnee Mission South High School; Board of Governors Public Interest Fellowship; City of Overland Park.

From Prairie Village 66208
Sean Foley, son of Tom and Sheila Foley; Bishop Miege High School; Board of Governors Public Interest Fellowship; U.S. Attorney’s Office, Kansas City, Kan.

SALINE COUNTY
From Salina 67401
Eric Sader, son of Dale Sader and Mary Cook; Salina High School South; Public Interest Law Society Public Interest Fellowship; McPherson County Ulster Project, McPherson.

SEDGWICK COUNTY
From Wichita 67212
Samuel Schirer, son of Dana and Karen Schirer; Maize High School; Board of Governors Public Interest Fellowship; Marshallese Consulate, Springdale, Ark.

CALIFORNIA
From Orangevale 95662
Leilani Leighton, daughter of Greg and Georgene Ferris; Casa Roble High School; Board of Governors Public Interest Fellowship; U.S. District Court Clerk's Office, Kansas City, Kan.

ILLINOIS
From Glenview 60025
Marchant Martinelli, daughter of Renee Martinelli; North Shore Country Day School; Board of Governors Public Interest Fellowship; Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas, Horton.

MISSOURI
From St. Louis 63122
Christine Walters, daughter of James R. and Mary Walters; John Burroughs School; Brown-Giffin Public Interest Fellowship; Kansas Legal Services, Topeka.

From Weston 64098
Heidi Nowotny, daughter of Dr. Robert and Jan Mugele of Duncanville, Texas; Duncanville High School; Brown-Giffin Public Interest Fellowship; Family Health Care Legal Services Clinic, Kansas City, Kan.

NEW YORK
From Queens 11370
Alberto Gonzalez, son of Mirza Morato and Alberto Gonzalez Sr.; Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School; Women in Law Public Interest Fellowship; Queens District Attorney’s Office (domestic violence division), Kew Gardens, N.Y.

TEXAS
From El Paso 79912
Carlos Hernandez, son of Jose Antonia and Guadalupe Hernandez; Franklin High School; Board of Governors Public Interest Fellowship; El Paso County Attorney’s Office, El Paso, Texas.

From Sugar Land 77498
Adil Saleem, son of Mohammed and Rukhsana Saleem; Kempner High School; Board of Governors Public Interest Fellowship; Judge Ken Tapscott, Dallas County Court, Dallas.

WASHINGTON
From Seattle 98125
Neftalem Habtemariam, son of Teklay Habtemariam and Alganesh Debesay; Denden High School, Asmara, Eritrea; Board of Governors Public Interest Fellowship; Northwest Justice Project, Seattle.

ZAMBIA
From Lusaka
Jatin Patel, son of Kanti and Prabha Patel; International School of Lusaka; Davenport Public Interest Fellowship; San Diego County Public Defender’s Office, San Diego, Calif.