FIRST GENERATION MENTOR PROGRAM

The Diversity Scholarship Foundation administers the ‘First Generation Mentor-Mentee Program’ (First Gen.) on an annual basis. This program is designed to introduce first-generation law students to attorneys and judges who will help guide them in navigating law school and beyond. First Gen. enables law students to gain access to lawyers and judges from every practice setting and court division (of the Circuit Court of Cook County and U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois). Students are provided information about networking, early engagement in bar activities, and participation in leadership in and out of school. DSF invites all the law schools in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa to make this opportunity available to all of their law students. Each year, the number or participating law schools has increased as well as the number of student mentees, and Attorney or Judge mentors. The 2024-25 academic year has seen 130 law student Mentees enrolled in the program and an attorney or judge mentor assigned for each student. The Program Chair is Honorable Daniel A. Trevino. The Program Co-Chair is Samuel Young.