The Massachusetts Bar Association is pleased to announce that
Shayla Mombeleur, a third-year law student at the University of
Massachusetts School of Law - Dartmouth is the recipient of the
MBA's 2017 Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Scholarship. The $10,000
scholarship will be awarded at the MBA's sold out Annual Dinner on
May 4, at the Westin Boston Waterfront.
Mombeleur has always been passionate about serving as a voice
for indigent populations. That journey began in her hometown of
Dorchester, where she too often saw her peers struggle with
addiction and the instability of poverty.
While some around her made unfortunate choices and wrong turns
in life, Mombeleur kept moving forward. As an undergraduate student
at Bridgewater State University, she dedicated significant time to
missionary efforts in Haiti, working to improve the lives of
children at the H.I.S. Home for Children orphanage by providing
them with vital everyday needs such as baby formula.
"These interactions honestly made me realize the opportunity I
had in the United States-the opportunity to find my passion in life
and to work hard in school so I could serve the same communities I
grew up in," said Mombeleur.
During her time at UMass Law, Mombeleur has served as a judicial
intern for the Massachusetts District Court in both Taunton and
Orleans and has also been an SJC Rule 3:03 Certified Student
Attorney for the Bristol County District Attorney's Office.
Being a dedicated advocate for civil rights has always come
natural to Mombeleur. Upon graduation from law school, she hopes to
serve those same communities she grew up in as a staff attorney for
the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) or undertake a
legal career for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).