![user profile avatar](https://static.bold.org/profilePictures/img06135cba0b5624cc45a6b4ef7a8d15e0305e.webp)
Age
24
Gender
Female
Ethnicity
Middle Eastern
Religion
Muslim
Hobbies and interests
Animals
Arabic
Music
Art
Reading
Academic
I read books daily
Yara Chabchoul
1,265
Bold Points1x
Finalist![user profile avatar](https://static.bold.org/profilePictures/img06135cba0b5624cc45a6b4ef7a8d15e0305e.webp)
Yara Chabchoul
1,265
Bold Points1x
FinalistBio
Aside from being a law student & aspiring attorney, my hobbies include running, art, concert-going, and animal loving!
I enjoy dedicating my free time to helping my community with access and applications to government resources, benefits, and paperwork.
Education
CUNY School of Law
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)Majors:
- Law
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Bachelor's degree programMajors:
- Law
Information Technology High School
High SchoolMiscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
Graduate schools of interest:
Transfer schools of interest:
Majors of interest:
Career
Dream career field:
Law Practice
Dream career goals:
Legal Assistant
Law Offices of Richard Piccola2022 – 20231 yearLegal Assistant
Law Office of Ronald S. Nir2020 – 20211 year
Sports
Track & Field
Varsity2014 – 20173 years
Awards
- N/A
Research
Law
John Jay College of Criminal Justice — Research Assistant2020 – 2021
Public services
Volunteering
ITHS — My role was to attend fairs at NYC Public Schools to convince attendees to apply for admissions to Information Technology High School in Long Island City. I organized, created and distributed flyers, sent emails, and communicated with locals.2016 – 2018Public Service (Politics)
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney — Congressional Youth Cabinet Member2017 – 2019
Future Interests
Advocacy
Politics
Volunteering
Entrepreneurship
Catrina Celestine Aquilino Memorial Scholarship
My name is Yara Chabchoul and I am currently enrolled as a 1L law student at CUNY School of Law.
Much like Catrina's devotion to the accessibility of the law, I dedicate much of my free time to my community in Queens, NY by educating people of all ages and backgrounds about their rights, the government benefits that they qualify for, and helping them apply to those programs. As a first-generation college graduate and a first generation graduate student, I understand the importance of bridging the gap between language and information.
My parents brought me to the United States as a baby and although they have given me the privilege of education, that was not something they were able to achieve themselves. Although they are steadily proficient in English, they struggle with the language and thus struggle in understanding. I believe that despite our differences, we all should be able to access information at the same rate, with the same guidelines, and with the same help. Lack of knowledge should not be an end, and the presence of people who are outlets to justice should not be solely transactional.
I plan to dedicate my career to serving the community because after all, the role of an attorney is to serve citizens and be an employee of the people. In 2015, I was a freshman in high school. My father was a green card holder (permanent resident) and we were in no position to hire an attorney. My father was working full time and my mother would stay home for my brother and me. I remember sitting in the living room with my father and mother while they were asking me what we could do to adjust my father's status so that he could gain citizenship. He had held his permanent residency for the allocated period and it was time to submit his citizenship application. I criss-cross on the carpeted floor and googled for hours. I was barely a teenager, but I wanted to help my family. What other choice did we have?
In the end, I taught myself what the government websites were called and the names of the forms that I needed, I also learned that this application has to be mailed to a certain location and at that point also learned how to use the postal service. It was a long and excruciating process but we did it, and I was able to help my father gain his citizenship. The day that our lives were changed was the day that I realized I would love to be devoted to this practice for other people as well.
I hope that you consider me for this scholarship and thank you for making such an opportunity available.