This is an excerpt of an article originally published by the Utah Center for Legal Inclusion (UCLI).
Amy Nichole Briceno, a 2L student at Utah Law, has been awarded the 2022 – 23 Durham Fellowship by the Utah Center for Legal Inclusion.
Nichole’s life reality as an immigrant, though challenging, has instilled in her a desire to lead, serve, and work in tandem with her colleagues to improve the unstable environment for minorities in Utah.
Nichole’s personal and professional experiences have given her first-hand knowledge
about the challenges racial and ethnic communities face when searching for legal representation. She has interned with the District Attorney’s Office, where she associated with Spanish-speaking families who were experiencing abuse. Throughout this internship, she saw the need for more Spanish-speaking prosecutors as she translated for attorneys. She worked with undocumented families who feared deportation because they could not afford legal representation.
Earlier in 2022, Nichole was elected treasurer of the Minority Law Caucus (MLC) at Utah Law. As treasurer, one of her goals for this year has been to establish an MLC Scholarship specifically for members that have devoted their time to MLC and show commitment to helping minority communities in their law career.
In the future, Nichole intends to support marginalized communities throughout her career as an attorney. As she says, “quality representation begins with a diversified legal community. To diversify our attorneys, we must first diversify law schools in Utah.” Nichole is focused on providing mentorship to increase minority student applications and retention in schools. She will continue to be devoted to supporting marginalized communities after graduation.
UCLI looks forward to working with Nichole this academic year as the 2022-2023 Durham Fellow and thanks the many donors who made this opportunity possible.
Read the full article on the UCLI website.