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American University Washington College of Law Students Katherine Conway and Michelle Villegas Selected as 2018 Gallogly Public Interest Fellows

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, DC, December 6, 2017 – American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL) is delighted to announce the selection of fellows for the Gallogly Family Foundation Public Interest Fellowship Program. Katherine Conway and Michelle Villegas are the second class from AUWCL to be selected for this prestigious fellowship.

Jim Gallogly and his family started the Gallogly Family Foundation in 2011 after his career in oil and gas. His daughter, Kasey DeLuke, is the foundation’s executive director and a 2009 graduate of AUWCL. The foundation’s giving is focused on educational opportunities and land conservation.

“We are grateful to the Gallogly Family Foundation for providing our graduates the opportunity to launch their public interest careers,” said Associate Director for the Office of Public Interest Angie McCarthy. “This year, our fellows will provide crucial legal services to the D.C. immigrant community.”

Modeled after the Skadden Public Interest Fellowship program, the Gallogly Foundation Fellowship supports recent law graduates from a select number of leading law schools across the country by providing compensation and benefits package for one year and the option to renew for one additional year following that. In exchange, fellows work for a domestic 501(c)(3) non-profit on a new or existing project within the organization in order to provide legal services to the poor and-or those deprived of their civil or human rights.

“We continue to be impressed by AUWCL students and are proud to support them as they start their public interest careers.  Katherine and Michelle are smart, committed women who will have a huge impact in their communities as immigration attorneys,” said DeLuke.

Katherine Conway
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Conway moved to Washington in 2008 following her graduation from Connecticut College with a B.A. in International Relations. Prior to attending AUWCL, Conway worked in the federal government and as an immigration and refugee policy analyst, most recently for Episcopal Migration Ministries. Katherine is currently a student-attorney with the Immigrant Justice Clinic, and a senior staff member with the American University Law Review. As a Gallogly Fellow, Kathrine will partner with the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition to provide direct representation to bond-eligible individuals in immigration detention in the greater D.C. area.

"I am very grateful to the Gallogly Family Foundation for the financial freedom to begin my legal career in the field of my choice and the opportunity to put my legal education to use in ways that I believe will strengthen and benefit my community," said Katherine.

Michelle Villegas
Michelle is a Los Angeles native and UC Davis graduate. She is the daughter of Salvadoran immigrants and has a passion for social justice and human rights. Prior to coming to law school, Villegas worked in the field of educational equity and access with programs aimed toward youth empowerment in rural Northern California. There, she saw the need for understanding and competent legal counsel in the immigrant community. Villegas decided to pursue a JD in order to become a resource and advocate for vulnerable communities like that of Woodland, Calif. Thanks to the Gallogly Foundation, Villegas will be kicking off her career as a public interest immigration attorney with Ayuda. In this role she will work to provide accessible, empathetic, and adept legal services to the immigrant community in the D.C. metropolitan area. At AUWCL, Villegas has served on the board of ADVANCE, a mentorship program for first-generation law students; the Immigrant Rights Coalition; the National Lawyer's Guild; the Latinx Law Student Association; and taught as a fellow with the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Program at Dunbar High School.

“I am honored to receive the Gallogly Fellowship, and am excited and ready to work in defense of Immigrant Rights and the progression of human and civil rights for all members of society,” said Michelle.

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 “We continue to be impressed by AUWCL students and are proud to support them as they start their public interest careers.  Katherine and Michelle are smart, committed women who will have a huge impact in their communities as immigration attorneys.” 

Kasey DeLuke '09, executive director, Gallogly Family Foundation