Posted On August 11, 2020 Personal Injury
University of Minnesota Law School Student Wins 2020 Console & Associates Legal ScholarshipCedar Weyker loves reading, summer mornings, and her dog, Daisy. Her other enduring passion: human rights policy. We’re proud to name this University of Minnesota Law School student and aspiring immigration lawyer the winner of our 2020 legal scholarship.
Weyker, born and raised in Minneapolis, MN, knows how important the legal system—not to mention, access to a good attorney—is to families in crisis situations. After witnessing this reality firsthand during her own childhood, she used her unique perspective to educate others about their legal rights and needs.
Now, Weyker has come full circle, preparing for a career as an immigration and human rights policy attorney. Her goal is to collaborate with nonprofit organizations to assist asylum seekers and refugees.
While earning her bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, Weyker spent time studying abroad in Lima, Peru. She volunteered with employment agency La Casa de Panchita, where she educated child domestic workers about their legal rights.
After graduation, Weyker served as the Family Support Worker and Liaison at Moreland Elementary School. In this role that emphasized child protection, she developed an interest in immigration law, watching what she called the “agonizing” process many families faced in immigration court.
To further her knowledge of immigration law, Weyker interned with nonprofit organization The Advocates for Human Rights, interviewing and translating for potential clients in the Refugee & Immigrant Program.
Through her work with potential clients, Weyker learned more than immigration laws and the legal needs of immigrants and refugees. “Above all, I witnessed the fear and confusion of refugees who had no idea how to navigate a convoluted and, at times, hostile legal system,” she recalled. “Our country needs dedicated lawyers who can address the instability and insecurity that characterizes the legal system today.”
Weyker is on her way to becoming one of these dedicated lawyers herself, and this scholarship award will help her get there.
For many of the people who need help the most, particularly from underserved populations like immigrants and refugees, the cost of legal representation is a barrier to navigating the legal system. While nonprofit organizations sometimes offer pro bono work in matters of public interest law, young attorneys often leave law school saddled with so much student debt that they can’t afford to take these lower-paying roles with nonprofit organizations. That economic reality can prevent even the most idealistic young attorney from undertaking these critically important service roles, in turn making help like this even harder for historically underserved populations to find.
For law school students aspiring to serve the public interest in these roles, like Weyker, every scholarship that cuts down the cost of going to law school helps put this endeavor a little more in reach.
The law firm of Console & Associates has awarded a Legal Scholarship to an aspiring legal professional every year since 2013. To qualify for consideration for the $1,000 scholarship, students must be U.S. citizens, have a GPA of at least 3.0, and be pursuing a law-related degree, including pre-law, paralegal studies, legal assisting, and Juris Doctor degree programs. High school seniors who have been accepted to college, undergraduate students, and students currently admitted to or enrolled in law school may apply for the 2020-2021 Legal Scholarship.
Our firm would like to congratulate Cedar Weyker on her award and wish her well in her future endeavors. We know that she will use her legal knowledge to make a positive difference in the world.
