DePaul Law student Fadya Salem, recipient of the Prettyman FellowshipDePaul University College of Law
student Fadya Salem (3L) was recently accepted into the E. Barrett
Prettyman and Stuart Stiller Fellowship Program at Georgetown
University Law Center, which selects three fellows annually. The Prettyman Fellowship was established in
1960 for recent law school graduates to represent indigent clients in
Washington, DC. During the two-year program, participants obtain
practical training as defense attorneys while gaining a greater
understanding of the court system.
The first DePaul Law student to receive
this honor, Salem is “beyond excited“ to become a Prettyman
Fellow and to work “with indigent clients who are marginalized in
society and among the most deserving people needing help.” She
first learned about the Fellowship while spending a summer as a law clerk with
the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, which was funded by DePaul College of Law's Judge Richard D. Cudahy Fellowship.
Salem was further inspired to apply for
the Prettyman Fellowship due to its mentorship opportunities. Having
learned first hand the value of receiving guidance from
professionals with similar passions, she would like to also counsel
aspiring attorneys and recognizes this program as an important way to
reach out to others. Salem credits two DePaul Law alumni in
particular for guiding her on this path: Chalet Braziel (JD '09) and
Theodore Thomas (JD '09), both of whom are Cook County Public
Defenders. As her mock trial coaches over the past two years, Braziel
and Thomas promoted extensive preparation and practice as keys to
success, and their “unwavering support” drove her towards
excellence.
After
completing the Prettyman Fellowship, Salem hopes to continue her work as a public
defender and positively impact the lives of others.