2021 Judicial Clerkship Applicant Finalists

J UDICIAL CLERKSHIP PROGRA M

2021 Justice David Thomson approached the State Bar in late 2019 about developing a program for law students to pursue pathways to the judiciary. Specifially, he wanted the program to focus on underrepresented students, which may include, but is not limited to, students of racial or ethnic minorities, women, identify as LGBTQIA+, students with disabilities, and students who are economically disadvantaged.

Working in collaboration with the New Mexico Supreme Court, Young Lawyers Division and the Committee on Diversity in the Legal Profession, we were proud to create and launch the Judical Clerkship Program. Congratulations to the following rising 2L students who will participate in the program and receive a summer stipend. They will partner with a member of the YLD for mentorship, participate in a professional development boot camp, and work closely with a Supreme Court Justice and a judge from the Court of Appeals.

Stay tuned for a corresponding episode on the SBNM is Hear podcast series! Justice David K. Thomson will be chatting further with Roshanna Toya and the YLD Chair, Allison Block-Chavez about their clerkship experience and the value it has had on their careers!

Lauren Chavez “When I was a little girl, my abuela recounted many stories to me about being made to be ashamed to speak Spanish. As a child my abuela was severely punished in school for speaking her fist language. With tears in her eyes she told me, “Mijita, I was confused because I did not even know I was speaking Spanish. It was the language my parents spoke and it came as naturally to me as breathing. I want to participate in the 2021 Judicial Clerkship Program because I understand that it is an un- paralleled opportunity to work closely with a judge, gain insight into the judicial process, and gain exposure to various areas of the law.”

Denisse Enriquez “I am a fist-generation immigrant and the fist in my family to graduate college. I worked full time and went to school full time to obtain an Associates in Paralegal Studies and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a concentration in human resources. I have balanced my responsibilities as a wife, mother of two extraordinary girls, education, and work because I know that I can and should do more to help my community. Selection to participate in this program would be more than an honor to me. It would provide the opportunity to truly put the research and writing skills I have learned up until this point to use as part of something larger that potentially affects our entire state.”

Cody Jeff “I am a member of the Navajo Nation from Crownpoint, New Mexico. The reservation is wonderful for its natural beauty, rich culture and history, and above all for its people. I was raised by a resilient and humble community that invested in the education of its youth to ensure the survival of the Navajo people. I appreciate opportunities like a judicial clerkship because it is an investment in the future lawyers of New Mexico, our home. COVID-19 impacted New Mexico and the Navajo Nation in similar ways, and now we must invest and rebuild our state in the coming years. To accomplish this goal will require a generation of professionals who are dedicated to serving our state.”

Amber Morningstar Byars “I possess certain invaluable life-skills that are not taught in law school. These particular skills were honed by a life of poverty and struggle. At age 13 I began bussing tables and by 16 I was waitressing. Eventually, I became a bartender and worked a full-time schedule of five nightshifts er week throughout my four years in undergrad at the Institute of American Indian Arts. It would be a great honor for me to serve as a clerk for the State of New Mexico. I was born at the Santa Fe Indian Hospital and raised in Taos and Albuquerque. I look forward to moving back to New Mexico after I graduate to practice law and give back to the community.”

Huong Nguyen “The fist and primary reason I chose to become a lawyer is to assist the Vietnamese community in New Mexico. Many of my family members own their own businesses including my parents, and I knew virtually no one in the legal fild to assist them with their needs. I am going to be that person in the future. I still carry that motivation with me. The second reason is to accomplish something that has not been accomplished in my family yet: complete graduate school. I will hopefully make my family proud in the end game. As a fist-generation, Vietnamese American woman, I decided to apply for the 2021 Judicial Clerkship to contribute to contribute to my home state of New Mexico and to further my goal of assisting my community; the opportunity to also work on the judicial side of the legal fild is a chance I do not want to waste.”

Natalie Saing “My personal experiences have profoundly shaped my approach to understanding how racism continues to structure the social order and the law. My parents survived the genocide that gripped Cambodia in the mid-1970s, when millions of Cambodians worked to death in labor camps. They sought asylum in the United States, fiding refuge in Portland, Oregon, where I was born and raised. With a judicial clerkship under my belt, I hope to contribute to increasing representation in the judiciary and to continue the fiht against institutionalized racism at all levels of the legal profession.”