2021 PABA Foundation Scholarship Recipients

With the identity markers as a queer, gender fluid person of color, Camille Serrano is a strong believer in inclusion and equity. As a recent graduate from UCLA, Camille’s background in gender studies coupled with their family’s immigration experiences propel their intersectional perspective on social issues. During their undergraduate career, Camille completed a year long honors research project examining Pilipina motherhood and its impact on the performance of queerness of second-generation Pilipina subjects. Receiving UCLA’s Research Excellence Award, this research assisted Camille in finding her deep interest in social justice and legal studies. Hoping to facilitate more productive conversation centered around difference, Camille is ecstatic to add momentum to APIA campaigns and initiatives across the country.

Kimberly Paggabao graduated from Southwestern Law School. Currently, she is working at Dummit, Buchholz, & Trapp, where she uses her provisional license to defend medical malpractice and premises liability matters. She hopes to use her legal career to further create a positive reputation for the AAPI community.

Born and raised in the Philippines, Joe Castro graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University and is currently a second-year law student at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law. He is the PABA student representative for Pepperdine Law and serves on the Pepperdine Law Review. He will be joining the Los Angeles office of Jackson Lewis P.C. this summer and will be clerking for a U.S. District Judge in Tennessee for the 2022–2023 term. Prior to law school, Joe served eight years as a United States Navy Hospital Corpsman.

Romae-Anne Aquino is a graduate of UC Davis and currently a second-year law student at Santa Clara University School of Law. She is a first-generation college graduate, law student, and Filipina-American immigrant. Romae is currently Community-Service Chair for the Filipino Law Society, Communications Chair for the International Law Students Association, Associate for the Journal of International Law, and recent Social Media Committee Member for Pinay Powerhouse IV. Last summer, she worked as a Cindy Avitia Fellow for the Katharine and George Alexander Community Law Center and People's Justice Fellow under Justice Catalyst's COVID-19 Rapid Response + Systems Summer Institute. Romae has a strong history and commitment to serving marginalized groups, she hopes to fiercely advocate for communities through a career in employment law.

Danielle Ocampo is currently a first year Juris Doctorate candidate at Loyola Law School. Prior to law school, she was a Business and Administrative Professional at The Climate Corporation and a Business Development Coordinator at the international law firm Paul Hastings LLP. Danielle graduated from UC Davis in 2016 with a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations and earned her M.P.A. from the University of Southern California in 2018. Originally from the Bay Area, Danielle has a strong interest in employment law and intellectual property and hopes to return to home to service Technology clients. She currently serves as the Program Director of the Empowering Pilipino Youth through Collaboration (EPYC) Ambassador Program, a youth leadership development initiative under the National Federation of Filipino-American Associations (NaFFAA) after previously mentoring Fil-Am youth as an EPYC Coach.

Stephanie Gimenez is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University and is currently a first-year student at Loyola Law School. Stephanie was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She is an active member of Loyola’s Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, and she serves as a mentor for the National Federation of Filipino Americans Associations’ youth empowerment program. Stephanie has worked in the entertainment industry in various roles at BBC Studios, NBCUniversal, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. Stephanie is passionate about promoting diversity and inclusion in the entertainment industry, and she hopes to create future opportunities for the Filipino-American community.

Jolena Collas is a first year J.D. candidate at Loyola Law School. She graduated cum laude from the University of California San Diego with a double major in sociology and ethnic studies. She is currently one of the 1L representatives for the Asian Pacific Islander Law Students Association at Loyola. She hopes to advocate for diverse entrepreneurs, creatives, and talent in the entertainment industry. She is also a former small business owner and both her past business ventures and current passions in law school are motivated by her dedication to the Filipino community. In her free time she hosts informal networking events for women of color at Loyola and does various types of consultation for local businesses. She also enjoys cooking, hiking, and singing at open mics such as Palms Up Academy.

Jomari Lucero is a graduate of Lyceum of the Philippines University-Manila and is currently a second-year law student at Southwestern Law School. Jomari was born in Ilocos Norte, Philippines, and immigrated to Los Angeles after finishing his undergraduate studies. He is active in several law school organizations, including the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, where he served as a section representative. Jomari served as a law clerk at the Southwestern Immigration Law Clinic, where he conducted intake interviews with SJIS and U-Visa clients and drafted declarations and immigration forms. This summer, Jomari will extern with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Kenny On is a 2L at USC Gould School of Law, where he currently serves as the External Vice President of the APALSA organization. He volunteers through the school's Street Law program through which he teaches at-risk youth about the law to hopefully get them interested in careers as attorneys. Kenny also regularly mentors younger students through various mentorship programs. Last summer, he worked as a law clerk in the Compton office of the Community Legal Aid of SoCal.

Mirelle Raza is currently a third-year law student at USC Gould School of Law and is following her passion to fight human trafficking and sexual violence. Mirelle has held leadership roles in the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, the Public Interest Law Foundation, and the First-Generation Professionals student organization. As a student attorney for USC’s International Human Rights Clinic, she worked on T-Visa applications for trafficked Filipina women and investigated the efficacy of sting operations. Post-graduation Mirelle will join the California Department of Justice as a Deputy Attorney General Honors candidate, focusing on complex white-collar fraud and human trafficking trial work.

Allen Sin was born and raised in Southern California and graduated from UC Irvine. He is currently a second-year law student at UC Hastings College of the Law and serves as the Vice President of the Hastings Pilipinx American Law Society. After working as a summer judicial intern in the chambers of the Hon. Therese M. Stewart in the California First District Court of Appeal, Allen developed an interest in public law and will be interning at the San Francisco City Attorney's Office this summer. Allen hopes to give back to the community as a deputy city attorney one day.

Sierra Duplantis is a graduate of Clemson University and is currently a third-year law student at California Western School of Law. She grew up in South Carolina and moved to California to pursue a career in IP & Entertainment Law. She is active in several law school organizations, including the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, where she served as Philanthropy Chair. Sierra has externed at the San Diego City Attorney’s Office and several contract litigation firms. Sierra has a strong interest in fashion and art and hopes to help protect artist’s intellectual property so they may create in a worry-free environment.

Rebekah Hoelscher is a graduate of UCI and is currently a third-year law student at Loyola Law School. She is active in several law school organizations, including the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association where she serves on the board as Alumni Chair. Rebekah was also the Treasurer of the National Asian Pacific American Law Student Association from 2020-2021, and has served as the APABA Student Representative for two years. Rebekah has participated in tenant self-help clinics and plans to continue working on housing rights issues in the future.

Eanna Marie Mejia is a graduate of University of California, Riverside and is an incoming first-year law student at USF. Eanna has worked as a law clerk at both family and criminal law firms. She has a strong interest in criminal law and hopes to give back to her community one day by working as a District Attorney.

Andrew Meily is a first-generation Filipino-American, born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and later moved to Los Angeles for his high school years. Andrew earned a bachelor’s degree from UCLA with a major in Political Science and a minor in Film and Television studies. Upon graduating from UCLA, Andrew worked as the legal department’s coordinator at Guess?, Inc., where he supported the department attorneys in fact gathering, research, and drafting. As a first year at Southwestern, Andrew is active in various student associations, including the Asian-Pacific American Law Student Association where he was selected as section representative. Andrew hopes to fuse his passions for the law and film and pursue a career as a film production attorney.

Anastasia is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara and is completing her third year at Loyola Law School. In the Summer of 2019, she served as a judicial extern at the Los Angeles Superior Court. She then worked as a law clerk at the Orange County Public Defender's Office in the Summer of 2020 through the Fall semester of 2020. Since 2019, Anastasia has participated in the Juvenile Innocence and Fair Sentencing Clinic at Loyola Law School. In her free time, she enjoys watching basketball and tending to her houseplants.