HARRISBURG, Pa. (Jan. 13, 2025) — The Pennsylvania Bar Foundation has named Jose J. Martinez, Michelle Kengkart and Morgan B. Sandler as the 2024 James W. Stoudt Memorial Scholarship Fund recipients. Each recipient will receive $3,000.
The scholarship was named to memorialize a steadfast supporter of the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation, James W. “Jim” Stoudt, who was instrumental in the creation of the Pennsylvania Bar Trust, where he served in various capacities for more than 40 years. Awarded annually, the fund offers up to three $3,000 scholarships, two of which are specifically designated to support minority law students, to candidates attending any of the nine accredited law schools serving Pennsylvania.
Jose R. Martinez
Martinez began contributing to his community in high school and has grown his efforts to help his Philadelphia community and beyond.
In 2018, Martinez began volunteering with the National Dominican Day Parade. The parade is held each year in New York City and profits provide a scholarship for students of Dominican descent. He made great improvements in building the scholarship program, one of which included furthering the scholarship fund from a $25,000 scholarship for 25 students to a $250,000 scholarship for 40 students.
Martinez was also instrumental in moving for the scholarship to allow students pursuing careers in trades to apply to help offset the cost of trade school.
“I feel incredibly fortunate to have received the James Stoudt Scholarship from an organization that shares my values — an appreciation for the law, a commitment to service and much love for the state of Pennsylvania. This scholarship has reduced my student debt and brought me one step closer to my dream of giving back to my family,” Martinez said.
Martinez is currently a J.D. and MBA candidate at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and Wharton School in Philadelphia. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard College.
Michelle Kengkart
“As a first-generation Colombian American, I have seen the gaps that exist between the legal field and the Hispanic community from a young age, and I hope to bridge these gaps by advocating for those who do not have a voice in the legal system. I am the first in my family to attend law school.” Kengkart said.
In summer 2024, she studied abroad at the University of Cambridge, with a focus on international law, and interned for Capital Blue Cross. This semester, Kengkart will be interning with the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General in the insurance fraud section and working with State Farm’s claims litigation counsel in the summer.
“I have been able to be an advocate in the roles that I have worked in, such as a legal secretary at Reynolds and Scheffler LLC and a legal intern at the Law Office of Marc Nehmad. Aside from the legal experience I gained in these roles, I was able to play a crucial role by providing translation services for Spanish-speaking clients,” Kengkart said.
Within her Dickinson Law community, she has been involved in the Sports and Entertainment Law Society as a 1L representative, and as the vice president for entertainment. She is also a part of the Latinx Law Student Association and the Women’s Law Caucus. Kengkart has volunteered for the Pardon Project for two years, helping individuals with criminal records apply for a pardon to have their prior charges removed from their records.
“As a Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar, I can connect with other law students and legal professionals to become more knowledgeable and connected with my community. I hope to inspire other Hispanics to join the legal profession as well,” Kengkart said.
Kengkart is a J.D. candidate of Penn State Dickinson School of Law. She earned her undergraduate degrees in criminology (major), sociology (minor) and diversity studies (certificate) from Penn State University – University Park.
Morgan B. Sandler
“Growing up on an Indian Reservation in rural Oklahoma, I saw the barriers that prevent people from leaving the reservation or pursuing higher education. As an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation and a Cherokee descendant, I know my community’s struggles with poverty, addiction, and deep mistrust of the legal system,” said Sandler.
In her first semester of law school, Sandler founded the Native American Law Student Association (NALSA). Later that year, she was appointed to the national board of directors for NALSA and currently serves as the Area 6 representative and liaison to law schools such as Dickinson Law, Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Boston College and the University of Pennsylvania.
Through her role, she helps to promote education on Indian Law, career opportunities and representation of Native Americans in the legal field. She also helps to coordinate and facilitate the Federal Bar Association’s Indian Law Conference.
During her time at Penn State Dickinson Law School, she has delivered a lecture on Native representation in the legal field, was elected as a 2L representative for the Student Bar Association, was chosen as an associate editor of the Dickinson Law Review, served on the Race and Equal Protection of the Law Committee and was selected to be a Dean’s Fellow.
Professionally, she has worked at both the state and federal levels and will soon spend two semesters as a legal extern in the chambers of a federal judge in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
“I am so very thankful to have been selected to receive the James W. Stoudt Memorial Scholarship by the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation. Receiving this scholarship has had a significant impact on my legal education and has added to the many reasons I have grown to love the legal community in Pennsylvania. My law school career and my future as an attorney have truly been uplifted by this community, my peers, my NALSA chapter, my National NALSA board members, my amazing academic mentors and my many professional mentors who have hired me, supported me, trusted me and taught me how to be a lawyer,” she said.
Sandler is a J.D. candidate at Penn State Dickinson School of Law. She earned her undergraduate degree in English from Southeastern Oklahoma State University.
The James W. Stoudt Memorial Scholarship Fund is administered by the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation, the charitable affiliate of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. For more information on this and other scholarships, visit www.pabarfoundation.org.
Source: Pennsylvania Bar Association, 100 South Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101