Robert E. Wone Fellowship | AEF will award the Robert E. Wone Fellowship to one applicant each year. Created in 2007, this fellowship is awarded to the applicant who most embodies what a former director, Robert E. Wone, sought to be as a lawyer—a trusted member of the community, making a difference in public policies and seeing his efforts improve the circumstances of those around him. The winner of the Wone Fellowship will receive a total stipend of $6,000.  The Wone Fellow will receive $5,500 of that stipend at the beginning of the summer. The Wone Fellow will then be responsible for completing the internship to the satisfaction of his or her employer, providing a written summary of the work he or she performed, and submitting a photo of himself or herself to appear in AEF’s annual newsletter. Upon fulfilling these conditions, the Wone Fellow will receive the remaining $500 of the stipend.

AEF Public Interest Fellowships | AEF will award AEF Fellowships to applicants who have a demonstrated commitment to public service.  Each AEF Fellow will receive a total stipend of $4,000.  Each AEF Fellow will receive $3,500 of that stipend at the beginning of the summer. Each AEF Fellow will then be responsible for completing the internship to the satisfaction of his or her employer, providing a written summary of the work he or she performed, and submitting a photo of himself or herself to appear in AEF’s annual newsletter. Upon fulfilling these conditions, each AEF Fellow will receive the remaining $500 of the stipend.

Rianna Mukherjee, Recipient of the 2025 Robert E. Wone Fellowship

Rianna Mukherjee is a rising 3L at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. This summer, she will intern with the Baltimore City Public Schools Office of Legal Counsel. Given her passion for education law and youth justice, she has interned with the Maryland Office of the Attorney General's State Department of Education Division and served as a student attorney with her law school's Youth, Education, and Justice Clinic. She has also previously interned on the Supreme Court of Maryland. At school, she is the Senior Online Articles Editor for the Maryland Law Review, a Legal Writing Fellow, a member of the Moot Court team, and the Vice President of Baltimore Outreach for Student Success. This year, she was also the APALSA Co-Spring Reception Chair.

Serene Chang, 2025 AEF Fellowship Recipient

Serene Chang is a rising 2L at Georgetown University Law Center. This summer, she will be working with the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center, which provides direct legal services to low-income Asian immigrants in the Metro-DC area. She will assist with immigration and naturalization cases, Violence Against Women Act petitions, and advocacy for affordable housing. Serene's experiences providing immigration legal services to refugees in her hometown, engaging in local and investigative reporting, serving in the U.S. Army Reserves, and working in the food service industry revealed the daily obstacles faced by individuals due to low-income, immigrant, and minority statuses. These experiences spurred her decision to pursue a long-term career in nonprofit legal work, with the goal of providing free or low-cost civil legal aid and developing expertise in labor, immigration, public benefits, and housing law.

Sunshine Angulo, 2025 AEF Fellowship Recipient

Sunshine Angulo is a rising 2L at the George Washington University Law School. This summer, she will be working with the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center in Washington, D.C., where she looks forward to supporting underserved members of the AAPI community through direct legal services and advocacy. A proud Filipino American and first-generation American, Sunshine brings a deep personal connection to her work and a strong commitment to public interest law. Prior to law school, she gained hands-on experience at a personal injury and estate planning firm. She is also a former Marian Drane Graham Scholar with the University of North Carolina System, where she explored the intersection of education policy and public service—an experience that continues to inform her approach to legal advocacy.

Andrew Lee, 2025 AEF Fellowship Recipient

Andrew Lee is a rising 2L at the University of Virginia School of Law. He will intern at the Legal Services of Northern Virginia (LSNV) this summer. Before law school, Andrew was the Director of Operations at Simple Charity, a faith-based nonprofit inspiring solidarity with people experiencing poverty and injustice. His experience there shaped his perspective on thoughtfully alleviating poverty, inspiring him to engage in justice work through the law. At LSNV, Andrew will assist disadvantaged clients with housing, public benefits, and other civil legal needs in his hometown. Andrew also serves as the Professional Development Chair in Public Service for his APALSA chapter and as a board member for his Law Christian Fellowship.

Ujwala Murthy, 2025 AEF Fellowship Recipient

Ujwala Murthy is a rising 2L at the George Washington University Law School. This summer, she will be interning with Pangea Legal Services, a nonprofit organization in San Francisco specializing in deportation defense. At Pangea, she will assist in representing immigrant clients in both detained and non-detained removal proceedings and helping prepare applications for immigration relief before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Before law school, Ujwala worked at the East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) in Berkeley, where she secured financial support for legal aid services from philanthropic organizations and also volunteered with staff to provide same-day support to tenants in housing court. Prior to her role at EBCLC, Ujwala cultivated institutional partnerships with foundations and corporations to raise funds at Room to Read, an international children’s education nonprofit organization based in San Francisco. As a child of immigrants, she is looking forward to developing the critical client-centered advocacy skills necessary to help achieve liberation for all.

Cole Sidabutar, 2025 AEF Fellowship Recipient

Cole Sidabutar is a rising 3L at the George Washington University Law School. This summer, he will be working as a legal intern at the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center. Previously, Cole worked at the Regional Public Defenders for Capital Cases (RPDO) in Lubbock, Texas and Kansas Holistic Defenders in Lawrence, Kansas. Before coming to law school, Cole worked as a radio journalist in his hometown of Lawrence, Kansas, writing and producing daily news for his community. This summer, Cole looks forward to serving the Asian Pacific American community in Washington, DC and diversifying his legal experience.