Adrianne Baker Fellowship Program Announces 2010 Fellows
California Western's Loan Repayment Assistance Program supports graduates working in public interest fields
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The late Adrianne Baker ’89, for whom the Adrianne Baker Fellowship is named
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SAN DIEGO, July 14, 2010 - California Western School of Law is honored to announce Alissa L. Bjerkhoel '08 and Michael E. Scott, Jr. '09 as recipients of the 2010 Adrianne Baker Fellowship.
The Adrianne Baker Fellowship Program is California Western's Loan Repayment Assistance Program for graduates employed by a legal aid, legal services, or other nonprofit advocacy or policy organizations.
"I really appreciate the opportunity to apply for and I am grateful to receive the Baker Fellowship," says Scott. "I value my legal education and the cost was not going to deter me from pursuing a legal career. However, when the reality of paying for it all sinks in, the Baker Fellowship gives me an opportunity to pursue a legal career in my preferred field with an organization whose mission and purpose I believe in, rather than looking for the best paycheck."
Fellowship Recipients
Bjerkhoel works as a staff attorney for the California DNA Project, a non-profit organization founded by California Innocence Project at California Western and the Northern California Innocence Project at Santa Clara University School of Law. Bjerkhoel researches California convictions prior to 2008 in which DNA evidence was not readily available or accurate, looking for biological material that can be tested. She previously worked as a habeus attorney for the California Innocence Project.
Scott serves as a staff attorney for the Utilities Consumer Action Network in San Diego, handling regulatory matters, filings with the Public Utilities Commission, and tracking trends in consumer issues. He volunteered for UCAN during his second and third years of law school and completed an academic internship with the Federal Communications Commission.
About the Adrianne Baker Fellowship Program
The Adrianne Baker Fellowship was named after the late Adrianne Baker, a 1989 graduate of California Western who spent much of her career working for the Legal Aid Society in San Diego. Between 2002 and 2004, Baker served as Acting Director of Diversity Services and Assistant Dean of Academic Achievement at California Western. Baker was an advocate for careers in public defense and advocacy. Through the Fellowship, her spirit and her commitment to serving others lives on. | 
