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APALSA members Grace Cho L’22 and Raymond Magsaysay L’22 selected for prestigious Don H. Liu Scholars Program

June 04, 2020

Two of the three law students chosen to participate in the prestigious Don H. Liu Scholars Program are members of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School’s Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA). Grace Cho L’22 and Raymond Magsaysay L’22 will each receive a scholarship of $15,000 as well as mentorship and assistance with their career development, including guidance in pursuing potential internships.

The Don H. Liu Scholars Program was founded by two past presidents of the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY), Jean Lee and Mike Huang, to “identify, cultivate, and inspire future Asian American leaders within the legal profession in order to address the single most important reality facing Asian American professionals today – the barrier to advancement.” The Program’s selection committee chooses students who excel in the classroom and show great potential to succeed in a top law firm or Fortune 500 corporation.

Don H. Liu is the Executive Vice President and Chief Legal and Risk Officer for Target and a member of its executive leadership team. He has long been dedicated to the advancement of the Asian American legal community, having mentored a generation of Asian American lawyers.

Indeed, Cho cited “more individualized access to guidance and mentorship opportunities” as her motivation for applying for the Program and hopes to broaden her professional horizons through interactions with those involved, and Magsaysay echoed these sentiments.

“I’m looking forward to the comprehensive orientation and training program they provide on the nuts and bolts of the profession, as well as the culturally relevant support and guidance the scholarship provides,” said Magsaysay. “It’s been an amazing opportunity to speak with extremely accomplished Asian American attorneys, and it’s definitely been inspiring to the point that I can hope, one day, to see myself in their positions.”

Both students praised APALSA’s efforts in making law school more accessible, and also noted that speaking with previous Don H. Liu Scholar Jaclyn Castelar L’19 further inspired them throughout the application and selection process.

The law students attended the AABANY Gala in New York City to receive the awards. As an added bonus, Cho and Magsaysay were able to meet and speak with Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Sri Srivivasan about their lives and aspirations.

Cho was born in South Korea and moved to the United States at age eight. She received her undergraduate degree in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University.

Magsaysay, one of three inaugural First Generation Professionals Fellow, hails from the Philippines and has called San Francisco, CA home since immigrating to the United States at age 12. He holds a master’s degree in teaching from the Universidad de Alcala in Spain and an undergraduate degree from Vassar College, with general and departmental honors, in Sociology, with correlates in English and Spanish.

Learn more about the Law School’s APALSA and its efforts to “promote Asia America in the legal sphere by engaging its members and the greater surrounding legal community in critical contemporary legal topics and by preparing its members for well-rounded and successful legal careers.”