Long renowned as the home of many of the most promising public interest lawyers in the country, UCLA School of Law is proud to share that eight alumni who recently graduated from the law school’s David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy have earned prestigious fellowships to serve communities across the United States.

Their awards represent some of the highest honors for law students and recent law school graduates in the public interest arena. Importantly, the graduates’ efforts fit within the core of UCLA Law’s founding mission as a public law school and its decades-long commitment to preparing students to make a difference as lawyers for underserved clients who need legal assistance, often far from Los Angeles.

“These students exemplify what makes the public interest community at UCLA Law so special. Our students are passionate, committed, and deeply optimistic about the potential for meaningful change in such important areas as immigration, criminal justice, and voting rights,” says Grace Meng, executive director of the Epstein Program. “I am thrilled to see these students receive fellowships that will serve as incredible launching pads for lifelong public interest careers.”

Allie Zenwirth ’26 and Alexandra Sarkis ’26 both earned fellowships with Equal Justice Works. Zenwirth will work at the Legal Aid Justice Center in Richmond, Virginia, and Sarkis will take a position with Immigrant Defenders in San Diego.

Malik Marshall ’26 received a Justice Catalyst Fellowship with the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy and Unite Here Local 11 in L.A.

Grayson Rost ’26 earned a Public Interest Fellowship with the Campaign Legal Center in Washington, D.C.

Also in Washington, D.C., Lauren Frey ’26 has an Animal Legal Defense Fund Litigation Fellowship.

Hannah Martinez ’26 received an If/When/How Reproductive Justice Fellowship with the National Center for Youth Law in Oakland.

Frances Parker-Hale ’26 earned an Independence Foundation Phyllis W. Beck Public Interest Law Fellowship to work with Community Legal Services in Philadelphia.

And Melissa Cortina ’26 earned a Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland LLP Appellate Litigation Fellowship in L.A.

“We take pride in the training, experience, and supportive environment that we offer to public interest students at UCLA Law,” says Drew Whitcup, associate director of UCLA Law’s Office of Public Interest Programs. “Each of these fellows — whether they are beginning their career in the public or the private sector — is poised to make a long-term impact. We’re pleased to have been a part of their educational journey.”