First-Generation
Law Student Scholarship

The First-Generation Law Student Scholarship was established through collaboration with Jessie K. Liu, partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and former U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, to support law students who are the first in their families to pursue a legal career. AEF applauds their important decision to attend law school, oftentimes in the face of difficult obstacles stemming from being the first in their families to do so. The First-Generation Law Student Scholarship aims to bridge opportunity gaps in the legal industry and promote a more inclusive legal community.

AEF greatly appreciates and thanks Ms. Liu for her generous donation and continued support of the AEF mission. Her commitment and dedication to the APA community and to the future of the legal community as a whole is truly inspirational. AEF expresses immense gratitude for her dedication to the APA community and to the future of the legal community as a whole.

AEF is pleased to announce that the recipient of the First-Generation Law Student Scholarship for 2023-2024 is Muhammad Ali Ilahi!

Ali is a current 2L at Penn State Law who has previously completed a Masters in Public Administration from Cornell University. Originally from Pakistan, Ali is a first-generation immigrant and a first-generation law school student, and has personally experienced the immigration process in the United States. Ali is passionate about immigration law and has advocated for asylees and refugees in the country through various initiatives. He has been involved with the Center for Immigrants Rights Clinic at Penn State Law and has worked with Afghan asylum applicants, detainees at the ICE detention facility in Moshannon, Philipsburg, and undocumented Mauritian immigrants in deportation proceedings. Ali is an active student member of American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), and was selected amongst a select group of applicants to attend the 2023 AILA Conference on a scholarship this year. He also serves as the treasurer for the Penn State Immigration Law Society.  During his 1L Summer, Ali worked as a Summer Associate at Littler Mendelson through the ACBA Summer Clerkship and the LCLD Scholars program.

Previous winners include:

Amy Lyons, 2022-2023 Recipient of the AEF First-Generation Law Student Scholarship

Arshi Baig, 2021-2022 Recipient of the AEF First-Generation Law Student Scholarship

Annie Dang, 2020-2021 Recipient of the AEF First-Generation Law Student Scholarship