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The Westchester Women's Bar Association Foundation (WWBAF) has once again recognized outstanding Haub Law students through its prestigious Justice Sondra M. Miller Scholarship, awarded in honor of Justice Miller’s legacy as a founding member and past president of the Westchester Women’s Bar Association (WWBA). This year’s recipients, Stella Capparelli and Stephanie Gonzales, were selected for their dedication to community service and their legal education. In celebration of the WWBA’s 50th anniversary and to honor the lasting contributions of the late Judge Lisa Margaret Smith and the late Judge Miller, WWBAF also awarded three additional special scholarships to Haub Law students Elida Loci, Morgan Shanske, and Tamika Thomas.

Susan Corcoran, President of the WWBAF, shared that every candidate submitted an impressive application this year. “Both award recipients of the Justice Sondra M. Miller Scholarship exhibit extraordinary dedication to community service and the study of law,” said Susan. “They have had amazing achievements in their law school experience.”

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Stella Capparelli is a senior associate on the ̨��SWAGLaw Review, interned at the United States District Court for Southern District of NY, mentors other law students as a Dean’s Scholar, and served as a resident director in the school dormitory -- all while achieving academic honors.

Stephanie Gonzales attended Haub Law part-time while working full-time. She participates in the Disability Rights Clinic, the School Improvement Committee, is a Student Bar Association Representative and has mentored numerous law students. The Westchester County Executive also recognized Stephanie as an employee who went “Above and Beyond”.

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This year, the WWBAF awarded additional scholarships in celebration of the WWBA’s 50^th anniversary and in honor of the late Judge Lisa Margaret Smith and the late Judge Miller. Judge Smith served for 25 years as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of New York until her retirement in 2020. She also taught Evidence, Federal Courts, and Civil Procedure as an Adjunct Professor at Elisabeth Haub School of Law at ̨��SWAGUniversity from 2006 to 2020. “The three recipients of this year’s special scholarship awards had many remarkable achievements,” shared Susan. “Elida Loci assists underserved families locally and abroad and participates in the Immigration Justice Clinic. Morgan Shanske provides professional development services to at-risk youth and conducts workshops at a juvenile detention center. Tamika Thomas is employed as a full-time educator and participates in numerous environmental and community organizations.”

“All five scholarship recipients clearly fulfill the mission of the WWBAF - ‘…to promote the fair and equal treatment of all people in society, the workplace, schools and court system,’” said Susan. “We could not ask for more perfect candidates to represent the values and life work of our own Justice Sondra Miller, Judge Lisa Margaret Smith, and the WWBAF.”

The WWBAF evaluates scholarship applicants, who are pursuing a legal education, using various criteria, including: community and/or public service, clinic and internship participation, life balance, work history, academic record and recommendations, personal challenges and/or financial need while pursuing a legal education, intention to make future contributions to Westchester County, and more. The successful applicant need not “check each box” in these categories. Instead, candidates are evaluated by standards that fit the foundation’s mission to eliminate gender bias and promote the fair and equal treatment of all people in society, the workplace, schools, and the court system. In evaluating applicants, the WWBAF considers how the candidate fulfills the values of the Westchester Women’s Bar Association and Judge Sondra Miller, whose life work is the embodiment of the WWBAF mission. Judge Sondra Miller passed away in 2024. She was a retired Associate Justice of the New York State Appellate Division, Second Department and served as a Vice-President of WBASNY, and was a founding member and Past President of the Westchester Women’s Bar Association. After leaving the bench, Justice Miller remained active serving as a distinguished judge-in-residence at Haub Law and went into private practice.