Meet the Inaugural Anita Hill Scholars

Supporting future lawyers committed to protecting rights, strengthening democracy, and expanding economic opportunity.

Economic opportunity depends on democracy, safety, and justice. That conviction led StitchCrew to partner with The Anita Hill Scholarship Fund.

People need more than a good idea and access to capital to build a future. They need a fair chance to compete and confidence that the same rules apply to everyone, regardless of wealth or political connections. They need to plan without sudden policy shifts that benefit a powerful few at everyone else’s expense. And they need to be able to challenge discrimination, exploitation, and abuses of power, knowing the law will protect them when they do.

Protecting those conditions requires people willing to hold institutions accountable. Professor Anita Hill’s legacy shows the courage that work requires and the change it can make possible.

“Progress toward equality is a relay. We have a responsibility to invest in the next generation, listen to what they tell us, and help prepare them to carry this work forward. These scholars give me confidence that the pursuit of justice, fairness, and a stronger democracy will continue.” — Professor Anita Hill

The inaugural Anita Hill Scholars are five future lawyers committed to advancing democracy, civil rights, and gender equity. Each will receive $10,000 to support their legal education.

Their work spans women’s rights, immigration, public defense, and entrepreneurship, reflecting the many ways legal advocacy can protect people and expand economic opportunity.

Meet the Scholars

Danielle Geathers | Harvard Law School

Danielle plans to combine law, business, and technology to expand Black economic mobility and help entrepreneurs build and grow organizations. A third-year law student with an engineering background, she wants to widen access to the capital, networks, and legal support that help people turn ideas into ownership.

As MIT’s first Black woman student body president, she successfully advocated for a significant institutional banking initiative involving Black-owned and mission-driven financial institutions. She also founded Talented Ten, a mentorship and access program initially designed for Black women interested in STEM. Her legal experience spans voting rights, education and civil rights, and intellectual property litigation. Across these pursuits, she has focused on how institutions use their resources and who benefits from those decisions.

“To receive this scholarship in Anita Hill’s name is to feel connected to a legacy of Black women whose courage and lifelong conviction have expanded what is possible for women like me, and to feel trusted to carry that legacy forward.”

Dhwani Kharel | Yale Law School

Dhwani wants to shape laws that expand women’s rights and opportunities. A second-year, first-generation law student, she plans to pursue policy work in government or advocacy, with the long-term goal of leading a women’s rights organization.

Through work at the National Women’s Law Center and Columbia University’s Women’s Institute, she has examined gaps in protections for care workers, workplace discrimination, and ways to fund care infrastructure. At UNICEF USA, she supported legal work involving nonprofit governance and children’s rights. Her focus on caregiving addresses a fundamental economic question: how do we protect and support the people whose labor makes everyone else’s work possible?

“Professor Hill remains a vanguard who spoke truth to power. Her example shows that justice is preserved by those brave enough to demand to be heard, even when they cannot know, in the moment, the impact of their sacrifices.”

Jackie Mathis | Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law

A former educator and first-generation college and law student, Jackie plans to practice at the intersection of immigration and employment law. She wants to represent people whose immigration status, financial circumstances, or limited access to resources leave them vulnerable to exploitation.

Now in her third year, Jackie works as an immigration law clerk, helping individuals and families navigate removal proceedings, asylum claims, detention, and family-based petitions. A summer associate position with Buckeye Partners added experience in corporate and commercial law. Her work across these settings has reinforced how much a person’s ability to earn a living, support a family, and live with dignity can depend on effective legal advocacy.

“As a former educator and future attorney, I am honored to carry forward Professor Hill’s legacy of advocacy, integrity, and standing up for those whose voices deserve to be heard. This recognition inspires me to continue breaking barriers while creating opportunities for others.”

Lamar Richards | Washington University in St. Louis

Growing up in rural South Carolina, Lamar saw how access to something as basic as internet service could determine a student’s educational opportunities. As student body president at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he helped secure $1.5 million in internet support for students during the pandemic.

He later helped create the Community Voices Academy in Washington, D.C., preparing unhoused and low-income residents to participate in housing and workforce policy. That work reflected his belief that people affected by policy should have a role in shaping it. As a first-generation college student now in his second year of law school, Lamar plans to pursue criminal appellate litigation and death penalty defense, with the long-term goal of ending capital punishment in the United States.

“The burden of courage is not measured in pounds, but in words. Every word spoken and every action taken is courage realized. I accept this great honor in recognition of Anita Hill's historic and tireless pursuit of justice. I carry this burden forward, without reservation.”

Sobechukwu Uwajeh | Columbia Law School

Sobechukwu plans to become a public defender representing people whose criminal cases can also threaten their immigration status and family stability. The goal is representation that accounts for the consequences extending beyond a single case.

Work with public defense organizations and the Black Alliance for Just Immigration has deepened that commitment. Earlier experience in the Illinois Governor’s Office involved helping residents access government services and bringing recurring constituent concerns to decision-makers. Now a third-year law student, Sobechukwu hopes to strengthen both individual representation and the systems that make it available, guided by the belief that rights are meaningful only when people can exercise them.

“Not only is this scholarship a tangible blessing but it is my honor to be part of the scholarship that marks the legacy of advocacy, resilience, and trailblazing of Prof. Anita Hill!”

A Legacy Carried Forward

The Anita Hill Scholarship Fund exists because Professor Hill’s former students chose to honor her influence by investing in future leaders. Beverly K. Carmichael, Teresa Caine Bingman, and The Honorable Judge Tammy Kemp organized, championed, and brought that vision to life. Also special thanks to The Anita Hill Selection Committee, including The Honorable Magistrate Judge Regina D. Cannon, Paul Hamilton, and Carlos H. Ochoa. StitchCrew is proud to serve as the fund’s fiscal sponsor.

We are grateful to Professor Hill and the founding donors who made these awards possible.

For students balancing educational debt, paid employment, and public-interest opportunities, financial support can influence which experiences they can afford to pursue and which careers remain within reach. These scholarships help give recipients more freedom to build the careers they came to law school to pursue.

Dhwani, Jackie, Lamar, Sobechukwu, and Danielle are already working to make institutions more responsive and opportunity more accessible. We look forward to what they will do next.

Read more about Why We Partnered With The Anita Hill Scholarship Fund