Deborah A. Batts Scholars

To honor the late Judge Deborah A. Batts, a trailblazing legal scholar and pioneering jurist, Fordham Law School created a scholarship program in her name. The program supports students dedicated to using their legal education to promote social justice, civil rights, and equality. An important component of the scholarship program is that recipients have the opportunity to work with the Center on crucial and timely issues of race, equality and social justice.

Current Batts Scholars

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2023 Batts Fellow
Shanice Scantlebury '25

Shanice is one of our 2023 Batts Research Fellows. She is originally from Barbados and grew up in the Bronx, New York. In 2015, she received a bachelor's degree from Williams College in History and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. There, she cultivated a deeper understanding of the intricate tapestry of human stories and the unique challenges marginalized communities face. After graduating, she worked as an intellectual property paralegal in the fashion and tech industries for seven years. During this time, she witnessed the often disheartening reality of how large corporations and individuals gained protected rights to cultures they were not a part of and did not contribute to, but instead profited. As a result, she hopes to pursue a career in intellectual property to help disenfranchised communities protect and reclaim the rights to their culture's intellectual property.

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2023 Batts Fellow
Yannick Twumasi '25

Yannick is one of our 2023 Batts Research Fellows. Yannick is a Washington D.C. native and a 2021 graduate of Elon University. While at Elon Yannick majored in Political Science and minored in Computer Science. Yannick was dedicated to community service at Elon and served as a Student Government Association Senator and on the Elon Neighborhood Coalition. Upon graduation, Yannick was the recipient of several awards including the Riversville Scholarship and The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for service to his community.

Yannick is driven by the equity that the law provides and hopes to use his law degree to ensure a more fair and just world. He is proud to be a Batts Fellow and hopes to work with the Center on Race, Law, and Justice to advance their various initiatives. Yannick’s research interests include race, the arts, and law in addition to sentencing law reform.

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2023 Batts Fellow
Cristian Vega '25

Cristian Vega is one of the 2023 Batts Research Fellows.  He identifies as an Afro-Latino, born and raised in the Bronx, and is passionate about advocating for marginalized communities.  Cristian graduated magna cum laude from Binghamton University with a degree in Political Science and Spanish.  He is interested in ensuring that students of color, students with special needs, and English Language Learners within the New York City public school system receive the educational programs they are entitled to by law.  Before law school, he was a paralegal for Bloomberg L.P.'s Legal Department.  He was also a member of the Pro Bono Committee, where he actively planned events with various community-based organizations.  

Previous Batts Scholars

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2022 Batts Fellow
Ferrell Littlejohn '24

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2022 Batts Fellow
Afrika Owes '24

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2021 Batts Fellow
Cameron Porter '23

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2021 Batts Fellow
Lamar Smith '23