The American Bar Foundation (ABF) has chosen five outstanding undergraduate students from across the nation to take part in the 2024 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program. These young scholars were selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants for their exceptional work in their undergraduate careers and their interest in the mission of the ABF. The 2024 SURF fellows are Giovanna Calderon, Ethan Chen, Katherine Gottemoller, Andrada Nicolae, and Mikayla Woods.
The SURF Program allows students from underrepresented backgrounds considering careers in law or social science to gain hands-on learning experience with an ABF researcher over eight weeks. SURF fellows also gain unparalleled insight into a career in law, scholarship, and legal aid through site visits to local law firms, legal aid clinics, law schools, and advocacy groups.
The 2024 fellows will join a community of alumni that have made significant contributions in law and social science, working as legal practitioners, deans, and professors in government, social policy, and business. Notable alumni include Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar, former California Supreme Court Associate Justice and President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (1992); Erika George, the Samuel D. Thurman Professor of Law at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law (1992); Danielle Holley-Walker, President of Mount Holyoke College (1995); and Grey Mateo-Harris, Partner at Fox Rothschild LLP (2004).
“We are thrilled to welcome our new cohort of SURF fellows to the ABF community this summer,” said ABF Executive Director Mark C. Suchman. “We hope that their time at the ABF will complement their academic coursework, pique their interest in empirical sociolegal research, and equip them for success in their future studies or careers. The ABF is grateful to all the sponsors who have joined with us to nurture this next generation of scholars and leaders.”
The SURF Program has received generous support from the Kenneth F. and Harle G. Montgomery Foundation, the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC), Walmart, Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, AT&T, and several individual donors.
Meet the 2024 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows:
Giovanna Calderon (she/her) is a rising senior at California State University, Los Angeles. She is majoring in Chicana(o) and Latina(o) Studies and minoring in History. Giovanna will be working with Mark C. Suchman on his research considering the legal environments of business activity.
Ethan Chen (he/him) is a rising senior at the University of Chicago where he studies French Literature. Ethan will be working with Ajay K. Mehrotra on his research projects studying tax law and policy and diversity in legal education and the profession.
Katherine Gottemoller (she/her) is a rising senior at the University of Notre Dame where she majors in Political Science and Psychology and minors in History. She will be working with William H.J. Hubbard on his economic analysis of litigation, courts, and civil procedures.
Andrada Nicolae (she/her) is a rising senior at Columbia University. She is majoring in Human Rights with a specialization in Education and minoring in Statistics. She will be working with Tom Ginsburg on his project considering the legal characteristics of international organizations.
Mikayla Woods (she/her) is a rising senior at Occidental College majoring in Black Studies and American Studies and minoring in English. She will work with Christopher W. Schmidt on his research project which outlines the history of the U.S. Supreme Court and its relationship with the American people since 1930.
The ABF also welcomes the 2024 Communications Intern, Violeta López Molina, a rising senior at the University of Chicago, who will be assisting the ABF Communications team in creating digital and print content.
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About the American Bar Foundation
The American Bar Foundation (ABF) is the world’s leading research institute for the empirical and interdisciplinary study of law. The ABF seeks to expand knowledge and advance justice through innovative, interdisciplinary, and rigorous empirical research on law, legal processes, and legal institutions. To further this mission the ABF will produce timely, cutting-edge research of the highest quality to inform and guide the legal profession, the academy, and society in the United States and internationally. The ABF’s primary funding is provided by the American Bar Endowment and the Fellows of The American Bar Foundation.