Congratulations to Mia Nevarez, the 2022 Recipient of the Annual Civil Justice Scholarship!

The team at Plattner Verderame, P.C. is proud to announce that Mia Nevarez is the 2022 recipient of the Plattner Verderame Civil Justice Scholarship! Mia is currently attending Notre Dame Law School, and is expected to graduate in 2025. At Notre Dame, she is a Victor Hedberg Presidential Law Fellowship Award Winner and a representative for both First-Generation Professionals and the Hispanic Law Students Association.

Earning a BA in Legal Studies and Theater (with a Pre-Law Focus and Music Theatre Certificate) from Northwestern University, Mia Nevarez earned a variety of honors during her studies, with just a few including:

• Distinguished Honors Thesis: “Racial Identity and Police-Citizen Interactions Among Chicago Area Latino Drivers”
• Lamda Pi Eta – Official honor society of the National Communication Association
• Legal Studies Departmental Honors
• Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois Scholarship Award Winner

We look forward to Mia’s journey through law school and her continued advocacy for the Hispanic community. Her drive and passion already show through her work, and we expect her to be a valuable asset to everyone she works with and represents in the future.

How Mia’s personal experiences have driven her quest for justice

Mia’s story is one of triumph over adversity. Her father was severely injured on the job, and was left unable to work (and living in chronic pain) for years. While struggling with this hardship, her family lost almost everything when a levy broke and her home was flooded. These challenges created an enormous financial strain on the family and on Mia in particular, who shoulder part of that burden. She helps to financially support her multi-generational family, all while attending law school to secure her future.

And still, as Maya Angelou once wrote, she rises. As she explained to us, her decision to attend law school was a difficult one, though she has always aspired to this path. It is one of the many, many reasons we are so proud to help this talented young fighter achieve that dream. In the face of such hardship, Mia never backed down. She never gave up. She proves day in and day out how passionate she is about her path – and we are thrilled to be able to help her along it.

About the Plattner Verderame Civil Justice Scholarship

Each year, the Plattner Verderame Civil Justice Scholarship of $2500 is awarded to “a student interested in any aspect of social or civil justice, who is currently enrolled in, or will be enrolled in, an accredited college or university for the upcoming academic year.” This scholarship can be paid directly to the college, university, or law school at the winner’s request.

We are currently accepting applicants for our 2023 scholarship. To be eligible, please submit the following information before June 1, 2023:

• Proof of enrollment in an accredited college or university
• One recommendation letter from a current or previous year teacher or professor
• A 1000-word essay about the American civil justice and jury system

Plattner Verderame, P.C. is proud to contribute to Mia’s education, and we can’t wait to see what the future brings for this talented young student! We wish you all the best.