When There Are Nine Scholarship Project Announces Inaugural Class of Scholars

Four Women First-Year Law Students to Receive Financial Stipend, Mentorship and Other Career Support 

September 13, 2021 / NEW YORK – The When There Are Nine Scholarship Project, a program established by alumnae of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) in partnership with the Federal Bar Council and Federal Bar Foundation, today announced its inaugural class of four women scholars: Amanda Gómez Feliz, Priscilla Guo, Cristel Taveras, and Rose Wehrman. These first-year law students will each receive financial stipends and career support from SDNY alumnae who will provide mentorship, networking, and other career-advancement opportunities throughout the Scholars’ law school and post-graduation journeys.  

Established in September 2020, the When There Are Nine Scholarship Project honors the legacy of former U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg by furthering her commitment to expanding career opportunities for women in the law and promoting equity and diversity in the legal profession. Each of the four outstanding young women was selected based on her academic achievement, commitment to serving her community, and for her perseverance in the face of adversity – character traits embodied by the late Justice. The recipients were chosen from a pool of nearly 400 applicants and their biographies can be found here.

“In the year since we launched the When There Are Nine Scholarship Project in honor of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, we have been gratified by all the support we’ve received from so many of our fellow SDNY alumni and others,” said Rebecca Monck Ricigliano, one of the Founders of the When There Are Nine Scholarship Project and a partner in Crowell & Moring’s White Collar & Regulatory Enforcement Group, who spent nearly a decade at the U.S. Attorney's Office for SDNY. “That support has enabled us to offer these four talented young women financial assistance and invaluable resources as they begin their law school educations. We are so honored to be announcing this inaugural class of

When There Are Nine Scholars and look forward to supporting them, and future scholars, on their legal journeys.”

Hon. Barbara S. Jones, former District Judge of the United States District Court for SDNY, said, “I am proud to be a member of the When There Are Nine Scholarship Project – and incredibly impressed with the outstanding group of women law students selected in our inaugural year. I look forward to joining with the women alums of the SDNY U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bar Council and Foundation to provide support and guidance throughout each scholar’s law school and early career days in an effort to advance diversity and equity in our profession.”

Preet Bharara, former U.S. Attorney for SDNY, said, “In addition to providing much needed scholarship funds, my friends and colleagues realized that expanding opportunities for women in the law requires more than just financial assistance. Perhaps the greatest part of this project is that each scholarship recipient will be provided a team of mentors to give career guidance and create networking opportunities. In this way, my colleagues hope to open doors for the next generation of women lawyers with the help of their close-knit SDNY alumnae community and to give thanks for the doors that Justice Ginsburg opened for them.”

Sean Coffey, President of the Federal Bar Foundation, said, “On behalf of the Federal Bar Foundation, I extend our heartiest congratulations to the inaugural class of When There Are Nine scholarship recipients. These four women have already achieved so much, but what is truly exciting is the unlimited promise they hold for themselves, their families and the legal community they will undoubtedly serve with excellence.”

The When There Are Nine Scholarship Project owes a debt of gratitude to its founding donors for their support, who include former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, and Sullivan & Cromwell Partner Karen Patton Seymour, who stated, “The When There Are Nine Scholarship Project provides critical funding to up-and-coming law students – but it is truly about so much more than funding. This is an opportunity for those of us who have had the privilege of serving as federal prosecutors to not only pay it forward, but also mentor the deserving recipients to help ensure their success.” The When There Are Nine Scholarship Project is also indebted to the many SDNY alumnae who participated in the extensive selection process chaired by Jessica Ortiz.

About When There Are Nine

The When There Are Nine Scholarship Project was established in in partnership with the Federal Bar Council and the Federal Bar Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, by a group of women lawyers who served together as Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Southern District of New York. The Project’s mission is to honor the lifelong work of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg by creating a scholarship and related programming that will advance equity and diversity within the legal profession and continue the late Justice’s many efforts to expand career opportunities for women attorneys.

Members of the When There Are Nine Scholarship Project Steering Committee include:

Carrie H. Cohen – Morrison & Foerster, LLP
Carolina A. Fornos, Co-Chair of the Mentoring Committee – Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
Margaret Garnett
Dani R. James – Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP
Amanda Kramer – Covington & Burling LLP
Sharon Cohen Levin, Co-Chair of the Fundraising Committee – Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Christine Meding, Co-Chair of the Fundraising Committee – Christine Meding LLC
Jessica Ortiz, Chair of the Selection Committee
Cristy Phillips
Rebecca Monck Ricigliano – Crowell & Moring LLP
Jocelyn E. Strauber – Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Wendy H. Waszmer, Co-Chair of the Mentoring Committee – Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Rebecca Lennon Baskin, Committee Secretary – Crowell & Moring LLP
Lisa N. Umans, Committee Secretary – Crowell & Moring LLP

For more information on the When There Are Nine Scholarship Project, visit here. The Project is funded exclusively by charitable contributions. Donations to the Project can be made here.