STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
DRIVEN BY RESPONSIBILITY AND ASPIRATION
Scholarship Recipient Plans to Advocate for and Lead Education Efforts BY HANNAH GRIMM
Asma Mohammadi ’23, a first-generation Afghan American Muslim student with a dual degree, was awarded this year’s prestigious Myers Law Scholarship at American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL). The scholarship is the most distinguished need-based award at AUWCL, covering 125% of tuition for one year.
Through her time at AUWCL, Mohammadi strived to be a mentor and resource to women of color who were navigating spaces where they are historically underrepresented. She wants to be a lawyer that gives back to the communities and institutions that have contributed to her personal and professional development while working towards inclusivity throughout the legal field.
“Through every moment for the last three years, I have been so grateful to be here, to have a voice. As an Afghan woman, education is not an inherent right like it is for others,” Mohammadi said. “Education wasn’t an opportunity my mother, grandmother or any woman who came before her had. And just when that narrative was changing slightly, during the summer of my 2L year, Afghan girls and women were once again banned from attaining any form of education.
“I carry that weight with me every day, knowing what a privilege it is to be here
4 THE ADVOCATE SUMMER/FALL 2023
and the obligation I have to my Afghan sisters,” she continued.
Like many students and alumni, Mohammadi points to faculty as a key component of her success during her AUWCL education. Her professors not only taught her legal skills—they also inspired her to share her own knowledge with others someday.
“Every international law class I have taken has been taught by a professor who has done incredible work in the field and is able to share their insights to supplement the casebook materials,” she explained. “I have lost count of how many historical cases Professor Goldman has been able to recount from his own memory, as he was a key player in the legal process. Because of this experience, I want to be a lawyer who not only excels in the human rights field but also prioritizes sharing the knowledge I gain with others.”
John Sherman Myers, AUWCL dean from 1956 to 1967, and Alvina Reckman Myers created The Myers Law Scholarship to ease the financial strain on law students while ensuring excellence in education. Mohammadi’s future is clear; she plans to advocate and become a leader in implementing education reform in Afghanistan.
“In the future, I want to open and
ASMA MOHAMMADI ’23 (RIGHT) WITH DEAN FAIRFAX.
support as many schools as possible to allow every girl the opportunity to receive an education,” she said. “In addition to that, those with disabilities in Afghanistan are oſten forgotten and there is no infrastructure to support those individuals. In conjunction with my educational efforts for girls, I plan to advocate and establish some sort of program for children with disabilities.”
The Myers Scholarship was instrumental to Mohammadi in allowing her to focus on her career aspirations rather than paying off student loans.
“My cultural, linguistic and legal skills I have gained at WCL have prepared me to reach this goal, and this scholarship has lessened my financial burden while pursuing this goal,” she said.
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