Chapman is proud to announce that David DePriest, a 2L at the Washington University School of Law, is the recipient of the third annual Chapman and Cutler LLP Maynard H. Jackson Jr. Diversity Scholarship.
David’s passion for the law was kindled at an early age. He grew up without his father, due to the American immigration system. David’s mother engages in civil rights and immigration rights activism; she attended law school but, as the sole provider for her family, had to put aside her studies to support David and his sister. As an undergraduate student at Howard University, David took the opportunity to turn his frustration with the American immigration system into positive action. He organized policy protests and voter registration drives on campus and established externships for other students matriculating to intern with Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris and ultimately get jobs. These experiences provided valuable insight into the American political system and confirmed David’s desire to go to law school and use his skills to make positive change.
The scholarship is named for the late Maynard Jackson, a public finance partner at Chapman (1982-1990), who was the first African-American Mayor of Atlanta (he was elected in 1973 and served three terms: 1974-1982, 1990-1994). Applications for the $10,000 scholarship were received from second year law students from across the country who demonstrated a commitment to diversity, not only in racial or gender diversity, but in a broader view such as military experience, overcoming adversity, LGBTQ+ status, gender orientation, and socioeconomic disadvantages.
