Making Public Service a Reality

The Gates Public Service Law Program has awarded five 1L students full support for their education at UW Law in exchange for their commitment to public service.

The Gates Public Service Law Program awarded full tuition and cost of attendance scholarships to five first-year students entering the J.D. program at UW Law.

Scholarship recipients are required to work in public service for five years following graduation.

Created in November 2005 and named after the late William H. Gates, Sr., J.D. ’50, a prominent public servant and attorney in Washington state, the Gates Public Service Law Program supports UW Law’s vision of making public service a reality for students. Gates Scholars have gone on to impact change through a variety of organizations on local, national and international levels.

Union Carter

Union Carter earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Gonzaga University in 2023, with minors in Sociology and Leadership Studies. She has organized activities with the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane and UFCW 3000, focusing on criminal legal reform and legislation supporting working families. Carter says she is driven by the belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to lead a dignified life. She is committed to continuing her work alongside Washington communities to help make that vision a reality.

“Being a Gates Scholar is a privilege I carry with deep responsibility,” says Carter. “I intend to make the most of this opportunity by gaining the skills, knowledge and networks needed to support meaningful change. My commitment is to be active in movement-organizing, particularly in reforming a legal system that continues to harm far too many. Whether through impact litigation or civil legal aid, my goal is to improve people’s lives — and to do so with courage, even in the face of scrutiny or discomfort.”

Isabella Carreno

Isabella Carreno’s commitment to service and advocacy is inspired by her community in Bakersfield, California. At the University of California, Berkeley, Carreno dedicated her time to working on immigration law, anti-trafficking policy and legislative issues. In the two years since graduation, Carreno joined the Greenlining Institute, where she advocated for racial and environmental equity and later worked in energy regulation as a fellow for the U.S. Department of Energy.

“The law is a very powerful tool that can be used to target intersectional issues experienced by the most vulnerable communities,” said Carreno. “As a Gates Scholar, I will use this opportunity to advocate for intersectional solutions that center communities, prioritize equity and bring important perspectives into the legal world. I also hope to integrate my knowledge and perspective on systemic issues with the legal tools I will gain through this program and from all the exceptional people within it.”

Samuel Crawford

Prior to coming to UW Law, Samuel Crawford served at the Good Law Clinic, where he supported civil rights cases and worked closely with clients facing systemic barriers to justice. Additionally, he served on the Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools Board as its youngest member, helping to secure vital funding for underserved students.

Crawford plans to combine his background with the Gates Scholar experience to expand access to justice and to transform the legal field. “I will draw on this network of scholars to bring change to underserved communities, including my own,” says Crawford. “I seek to redefine what it means to be an attorney and ensure the profession reflects the diversity of the people it serves.”

Sarah Sánchez

Sarah Sánchez’s commitment to public service is rooted in her love for the land and community she calls home: northern New Mexico. Facing systemic injustices such as environmental racism at home drove her to work in spaces that challenge them. Sánchez served as a fully accredited representative through the Department of Justice for five years, advocating for clients in the Immigration Court and before the Board of Immigration Appeals. Sánchez’s clients included trans and queer individuals fleeing persecution. During the COVID-19 pandemic and amidst the Title 42 border closure, she worked directly with Customs and Borders Protection, successfully advocating for more than 50 vulnerable individuals to enter the U.S. and seek asylum.

“My immigrant justice mentors utilized legal training to effect meaningful change, and I hope to do the same,” Sánchez says. “The Gates Scholars Program, with its ethos and resources, provides me with integral support to achieve this goal. I am interested in the practice areas of environmental justice, workers’ rights and civil impact litigation.” As an admirer of the progressive advocacy of both Washington’s community at-large and its legal community, Sánchez is eager to learn from both.

Martín J. Valencia

As a recipient of the merit-based New American University Scholarship at Arizona State University, Martín J. Valencia studied issues of justice, equity and the built environment, earning his degree in Urban Planning. In 2018, Valencia began volunteering and working as a legal advocate for non-profit legal service organizations, including the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project and the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, where he supported attorneys working on detention and deportation defense for asylum seekers, refugees, DACA recipients, survivors of trafficking and domestic violence, and victims of other criminal activities.

In 2021, Valencia joined the Clerk’s Office at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, where he provided administrative assistance to judges and law clerks and helped the public to access court services. Now a 1L and Gates Scholar at UW Law, Valencia seeks to sharpen his advocacy and develop his knowledge of the law to defend communities and individuals that are systemically marginalized and unfairly targeted by the government.

“Becoming a Gates Scholar is an incredible honor,” says Valencia, “and it’s only possible thanks to countless advocates and individuals seeking justice who have guided me and helped develop my commitment to public service. I will use my experience as a Gates Scholar to help people and communities who are exploited and abused to overcome barriers and to achieve justice.”