(July 21, 2008) Downtown, Los Angeles – On behalf of the lawfirm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, the congresswoman presented a $10,000 college scholarship to Roosevelt High School graduate Jose Cervantes (pictured, along with his parents). The congresswoman represents Boyle Heights where Roosevelt High School is located. In 2005, the Los Angeles offices of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius chose to commemorate their 30th anniversary in the City of Los Angeles (1976 – 2006) by sponsoring a college scholarship for a deserving student at an economically disadvantaged local high school. Morgan Lewis selected Roosevelt High due to its size, high number of minority students and its connection to the firm through litigation associate and proud Roosevelt alumnus Art Padilla. This is the third year the law firm has awarded a $10,000 scholarship. The scholarship recipients are chosen by a panel of Morgan Lewis attorneys and staff from a select group of applicants.
The congresswoman made the following remarks at the scholarship presentation ceremony:
“Thank you very much Alicia for inviting me to be a part of this special presentation. I commend Morgan, Lewis & Bockius for the commitment to give back to the community through charitable contributions and pro-bono services, and to promote diversity in higher education and within the legal community, and in particular for establishing the Morgan Lewis Roosevelt High Achievement Scholarship.
I applaud Morgan Lewis for understanding the importance of investing in our youth. I wish there were more private and corporate entities that had at least half of the commitment to community service as Morgan Lewis.
Now for the reason we are all gathered today: Morgan Lewis has selected Roosevelt High senior Jose Cervantes to receive the 2008 scholarship.
The selection panel saw Jose as an excellent role model for other minority students who aspire to make the most of the academic opportunities presented by Roosevelt and become the first members of their families to attend a four-year university. Jose immigrated to the United State from Mexico only four years ago. Through hard work and dedication, he went from taking English as a Second Language to become one of only three Roosevelt students to pass the Advance Placement Exam in English.
Jose graduated in the top five of his class with a 4.1 GPA. He will continue his academic journey at Cal Poly Pomona where he has been admitted into the freshman class of 2008.
I’d like to share a quote from one of Jose’s letters of recommendation, it reads: “Indeed, in the fourteen years that I have been in education, rarely have I been privileged to teach a student of such academic ability, social awareness, and positive personality. Whether working out a complex problem in the classroom or serving on our small learning community's governance, Jose (a first generation college student) has the acceptance of his peers and the respect of all those who know him, including his teachers."
Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to present the 2008 Morgan Lewis Roosevelt High Achievement scholarship to Jose Cervantes.”
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