BY JASON COHEN
Amanda Gómez Feliz immigrated
to the Bronx in 2010 not
knowing any English, but that
didn’t deter her from marking her
mark. Gomez Feliz currently attends
Yale Law School and was recently
bestowed a prestigious scholarship.
On Sept. 13, The When There
Are Nine Scholarship Project, a program
established by alumnae of the
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern
District of New York (SDNY) in
partnership with the Federal Bar
Council and Federal Bar Foundation,
announced its inaugural class
of four women scholars. Gómez Feliz,
along with three other women,
will receive a $10,000 financial stipend,
mentorship, networking and
other career support opportunities.
According to Gómez Feliz, she
applied for the When There Are
Nine Scholarship because of her admiration
for former U.S. Supreme
Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader
Ginsburg and her desire to bring
more women of color into the legal
field. In fact, Latinx women make
up less than 2% of all U.S. attorneys.
And one of the goals of the scholarship
is to increase diversity within
the legal profession, and she hopes
that in the future there will be a lot
more people in the field who look
like her.
Established in September 2020,
the scholarship honors the legacy
of Ginsburg by furthering her commitment
to expanding career opportunities
for women in the law
and promoting equity and diversity
in the legal profession. Each of the
four women was selected based on
their academic achievement, commitment
to serving their community
and for perseverance in the face
of adversity – all character traits embodied
by the late justice.
Gómez Feliz, 23, a native of the
Dominican Republic, came to the
South Bronx at the age of 14 with
her mom, Glenis Feliz Suero and
brother. Her mom, who was a lawyer,
made the ultimate sacrifice
when she moved to the U.S. Instead
of going back to law school and
seeking a required law degree in
Americ.a, she quit the field in order
to spend more time with her children.
“To me as a little girl it was inspiring
seeing her helping people,”
Gómez Feliz said about her mother.
“My mom loved her job. I remember
saying when I grow up I wanted to
do what I love as well.”
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, O 28 CT. 29-NOV. 4, 2021 BTR
Gómez Feliz attended University
Prep Charter High School and
not knowing English made life
quite challenging. As a freshman,
classes were so frustrating that she
often came home wanting to return
to her native country.
“It was hard for me because the
high school I went to didn’t have bilingual
classes,” she told the Bronx
Times. “I remember the first day
of school I had global history and I
didn’t understand a word they said.”
However, Gómez Feliz did not
get deterred. She taught herself
English by watching YouTube and
had great teachers who explained
things slowly to her.
She went on to graduate as her
high school’s salutatorian and received
a full scholarship to the University
of Rochester.
“It didn’t come easy to me,” she
said about her education.
Dreaming of becoming a lawyer
since she started high school,
coupled with her personal experiences
with the immigration system
inspired Gomez Feliz to focus on immigration
law at Rochester.
After immigrating to the
Bronx resident Amanda Gómez Feliz was a recipient of the Ruth Bader
Ginsburg Legacy Scholarship. Photo courtesy Amanda Gómez Feliz
Bronx, her family was victimized
by a fraudulent “notary public” who
claimed to be an immigration lawyer.
Her family’s case was delayed
five years as a result of the fraud.
Ultimately, her family saved
up enough money for an immigration
lawyer and Gomez Feliz
became a permanent resident during
her senior year of high school,
gaining citizenship last year during
the pandemic. She graduated
magna cum laude from the University
of Rochester 2019.
Having started Yale Law
School this semester, Gomez Feliz
said she wouldn’t trade places
with anyone. She plans to practice
immigration law in the Bronx,
where her goal is to help immigrants
navigate challenges similar
to those she was able to overcome.
“This is what I wanted to do for
a long time,” she said. “Obviously
it feels good to make your dreams
come true. As a woman interested
in the law, it’s very easy to be inspired
by Justice Ginsberg.”
Bronx resident awarded
RBG scholarship
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