O’Melveny Awards Warren Christopher Scholarships to 15 Remarkable Los Angeles Students

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOS ANGELES—November 13, 2020—O’Melveny recently awarded $300,000 in college scholarships to 15 exceptional Los Angeles Unified School District high school sophomores at the firm’s 26th annual Warren Christopher Scholarship Awards ceremony. Each Scholar receives $5,000 a year during his or her four years in college to help cover tuition and other educational expenses.

The online event, which was hosted by O’Melveny partner and Warren Christopher Scholarship Committee Chair Matt Kline, featured remarks from alumni Scholars and several committee members, including O’Melveny partner Cassie Seto and Scott Christopher, Warren Christopher’s son. More than 80 people participated, including current and past Scholars and their families, and O’Melveny lawyers, alumni, and staff.

O’Melveny established the Warren Christopher Scholarship program in 1992 to honor the late O’Melveny chair and former US Secretary of State, a tireless champion of higher education opportunities for disadvantaged students. This year’s Scholars were selected from among 117 nominees whose schools recognized their academic promise, record of community service, and financial need.

Over the program’s two-plus decades, every Scholar has graduated from high school, and well over 90 percent have gone on to earn college degrees and pursue rewarding careers. These statistics far outmatch local and national rates generally, and especially among the communities the program serves.

“Congratulations to the 15 incredible students who earned Warren Christopher Scholarship Awards this year,” said O’Melveny Chair Bradley J. Butwin. “Their accomplishments and drive are truly inspiring, and we are honored to welcome them to our extended community of Scholars.”

“Our 2020 Scholars have achieved remarkable academic and personal success despite facing numerous obstacles,” added Kline. “We hope the scholarships and our program help them achieve the rewarding futures they deserve—and that like the many Scholars before them, they in turn help their families, friends, and communities.”

The Warren Christopher Scholarship program, which represents O’Melveny’s commitment to support promising high school students during their high school, college, and post-graduate careers, is managed by the Warren Christopher Scholarship Committee and the California Community Foundation in Los Angeles. Since its inception, the program has awarded $6 million to 265 scholars and more than 2,000 runners-up, who each receive a $500 grant.

Scholars must graduate from an LAUSD high school and attend college to claim their $20,000 scholarship awards. While most other scholarship programs target students in their senior year of high school, the Warren Christopher Scholarship program is unique in recognizing rising academic stars in the 10th grade. The goal is to motivate the Scholars to excel throughout high school and to attend and graduate from college. Thanks to a wide array of donors and volunteers, the program also provides extensive support services ranging from regular educational events to mentoring, job placement assistance, pro bono legal support, and help with travel to and from school.

Warren Christopher Scholars have gone on to attend and graduate from some of the country’s most prestigious universities, including Yale, MIT, Brown, Duke, Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, and almost all of the UC schools. Many Scholars are now teachers, public servants, doctors, lawyers, social activists, and successful parents to children pursuing their own college dreams. All are members of a large, supportive community of Scholars that works each day to support its members and make a broader positive impact on the world.

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