2025 SPRING BLOSSOM FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION PROCESS NOW OPEN! 

The Asian Bar Association of Washington is excited to announce the return of the Spring Blossom Fellowship for 2025! 

The fellowship will provide one grant of up to $5,000 to a law student attending law school in the State of Washington (Gonzaga, SU, or UW) who will be working with a public interest or service organization during the Summer of 2025 to advance the rights of women and/or immigrants.  Applicants must contact a potential employer him, her, or themselves and arrange for a summer position in order to qualify for the fellowship. 

Funding for the fellowship is made possible by a donation from Hon. Lorraine Lee (ret.) and John Felleisen, in partnership with the Asian Bar Association of Washington Student Scholarship Foundation.  The fellowship is awarded in the name of, and in honor and memory of, Chun Lan “Spring Blossom” Ng Woo, 1918-2008, an immigrant woman from China who lived her life with integrity, courage, and resilience.   

While the fellowship was inspired by the pressing needs of immigrant women, the criteria for award of the fellowship is broader.  The fellowship is available to students working with a public interest or service organization whose work advances the rights of women and/or immigrants; the sponsoring organization does not need to “specialize” in or solely address issues related to the rights of women and/or immigrants.  Further, an applicant need not work only on issues related to the rights of women and/or immigrants during the term of the fellowship, as long as some of the applicant’s work will help advance such rights.  The extent to which the work advances the rights of women and/or immigrants will be just one factor in awarding the fellowship.    

Please find application materials below. Completed application packets must be submitted to Monica.Keo-Newton@stoel.com by email no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 15, 2025. Applicants selected for the interview phase of the selection process will be notified the week of April 21, 2025, and interviews will be held in the late afternoon or early evening during the week of April 21, 2025.  

2025 Spring Blossom Fellowship - Application.docx

2025 Spring Blossom Fellowship - Employer Profile (Form).docx

ABAW ABAWSSF - 2025 Spring Blossom Flyer.pdf

For more information, please contact: Monica Keo-Newton, ABAW Scholarship Chair, at Monica.Keo-Newton@stoel.com.

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 Upcoming Scholarship Opportunities

2025 Fall Scholarships: Yamashita Scholarship; Sharon A. Sakamoto President's Scholarship; multiple General Scholarships  - More information to come. Applications will open in the Fall.

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The Asian Bar Association of Washington would like to congratulate all of our scholarship and fellowship recipients for 2024.  Please join us in congratulating:

Yamashita Scholarship: Theana Lynn Aromin

Theana Lynn Aromin (she/her) is a second-year law student at Seattle University School of Law. She was born and raised in Guam and moved to Washington to attend the University of Washington, Seattle for her undergraduate degree. Initially intending to study engineering, Theana shifted her focus to American Ethnic Studies and Law, Societies, and Justice after becoming involved in the various AANHPI collegiate organizations. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, she moved back to Guam and taught at her former high school. For over three school years, she taught in almost every department—science, social studies, math, electives, and English language arts. Now, Theana works as an Admissions Fellow while attending school. This year, Theana serves as the Co-President of the Pacific Islander Law Student Association, Vice President of the Asian Law Student Association, and Secretary of the National Filipino American Law Student Association. She is also the VP of In-House Competitions for the Dispute Resolution Board and a new member of the Seattle University Law Review. 

Sharon A. Sakamoto President’s Scholarship: Carol Xie

Carol Xie is a second-year law student at Seattle University School of Law. She is a first-generation high school, college, and soon-to-be law school graduate. Coupled with her upbringing and her love for the Seattle Chinatown-International District neighborhood, Carol enrolled in law school to pursue a career in criminal prosecution in order to further advocate for non-English speaking communities and to provide representation in the legal profession. At Seattle U, Carol currently serves as President of the Asian Law Students Association; Secretary and Social Media Manager of the Future Prosecutors for Social Justice; and Diversity Representative of the Student Bar Association. She is also the Seattle U Student Liaison for the Asian Bar Association of Washington.

ABAWSSF General Scholarship: Jerrald Callanta

Jerrald Callanta is a third-year law student at Seattle University School of Law.  Born and raised in Daly City, California, Jerrald completed his undergraduate degree in philosophy at San Francisco State University. In law school, Jerrald was eager to become involved in his community, which pushed him to join multiple cultural affinity organizations. In his 2L year, he served as Vice President for the Asian Law Students Association and Filipino American Law Students Association (FALSA). Apart from being involved in the Asian community, he has also worked with domestic violence survivors with their appeals with the Family Violence Appellate Project. Currently, Jerrald is the President of FALSA and inaugural Vice President of the National Filipino American Law Students Association. After law school, Jerrald plans on pursuing a career in privacy law, and hopes to continue giving back to the Filipino community in Seattle and Daly City through pro bono family law work.

ABAWSSF General Scholarship: Kabitanjali Amatya

Kabitanjali Amatya is a third-year law student at the University of Washington School of Law. Originally from Nepal, Kabitanjali’s passion for advocating for immigrant and marginalized communities stems from her personal experiences as a first-generation immigrant. Before law school, she worked as a Nepali language interpreter, helping refugees and immigrants overcome language barriers to access essential services.

During law school, she served as Vice President of Mentorship for the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, where she worked to create a supportive network for AANHPI law students. Kabitanjali has also volunteered with the SAI Justice Asylum Clinic, assisting asylum seekers in navigating the legal system. Her internships at Northwest Health Law Advocates and the Federal Trade Commission have allowed her to contribute to legislative advocacy and consumer protection work. Entering the legal field as an immigrant, Kabitanjali is committed to giving back to the community that has supported her throughout her journey. She looks forward to mentoring future law students and immigrants aspiring to enter the legal profession, ensuring they have the guidance and resources they need to succeed. After law school, she plans to continue serving immigrant communities through legal advocacy, focusing on issues such as language access, healthcare rights, and immigration law.

ABAWSSF General Scholarship: Betty Yu

Betty is a second-year law student at the University of Washington School of Law. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Betty discovered her love for volunteering in high school when she worked with a refugee center and Asian Americans Advancing Justice. Betty holds positions on several community boards in Seattle and has found great passion in volunteering at the Chinese Information and Service Center (CISC) legal clinic. After graduating, Betty plans to continue her involvement at CISC as a volunteer attorney and deepen her engagement with the Asian Bar Association of Washington. She is dedicated to mentoring future law students and supporting the AANHPI community with resources she wished she had as a first-generation law student.

Spring Blossom Fellowship: Lexi Yokote

Lexi is a second-year law student at Gonzaga University School of Law. This past summer as the Spring Blossom Fellow, Lexi interned with Manzanita Immigrant Legal Aid (MILA), the legal department of a local non-profit organization, Manzanita House, focused on working for and with the immigrant community. Her work included drafting motions to dismiss and continue removal proceedings for the immigration court, communicating and meeting with clients to complete applications, conducting country conditions research regarding Mexico, Venezuela, and Russia, and more.

While at MILA, Lexi worked on a project that entailed contacting clients and filing Temporary Protected Status (TPS) applications for qualifying Haitian nationals. On July 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced the extension and redesignation of Haiti for TPS for another 18 months. Qualifying Haitian nationals could apply to obtain or extend their temporary legal status. MILA provided services free of cost to the clients to help them file their applications. She conducted research regarding the eligibility for Haitian nationals to apply for TPS with this redesignation and extension, contacted clients to gauge interest in the program, collected relevant information and supporting documents, helped draft the clients’ TPS applications, met with clients to review, and ultimately filed the applications to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.