Congratulations to the WBAEF’s 2022 Charles Hamilton Houston Scholarship Winners!

Odunayo Durojaye
Georgetown University Law Center
Odunayo.Durojaye@gmail.com

Odunayo Durojaye is a third-year law student at Georgetown University Law Center. She currently serves as a Co-Director of the Appellate Advocacy Division of Barristers’ Council and is a student counsel in the Appellate Litigation Clinic. Odunayo was the first Senior Diversity & Inclusion Editor of the Georgetown Law Journal, and during her tenure she worked to make the journal more accessible for diverse students and more inclusive.

Odunayo is an active member of her community and serves as a Peer Advisor, BLSA Mentor, and RISE Writing Fellow. She recently competed on Georgetown BLSA’s moot court team and they won the MABLSA Regional Championship for the Thurgood Marshall Moot Court Competition. During her 2L year, Odunayo was a Law Fellow for the Legal Research and Writing Program, Co-Director of the 69th Annual Beaudry Moot Court Competition, and completed her pro bono pledge with the American Bar Association’s Commission on Immigration.

After graduation, Odunayo will be clerking for the Senior Judges at the DC Court of Appeals and will then join Hogan Lovells LLP as an associate in their DC office.

Dionne R. Dillard
University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law
Dionne.Dillard@udc.edu

Dionne Dillard is currently completing her law school journey as a 3L at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Dionne attended the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Political Science and African/African American Studies. While in law school, Dionne has completed nearly 800 clinical hours and has worked for legal services provider such as Tzedek DC, the Safe Sisters Circle, and Advocates for Justice and Education. She has also externed under the Supervisory Administrative Judge at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

After she graduates from law school, Dionne’s commitment as a lawyer will allow her to continue sowing into people of color by providing equal access to justice opportunities. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, serves as the current UDC Law Review’s Editor-in-Chief, and is a writing mentor to her fellow classmates. After graduation, Dionne will serve the Washington, D.C. community as a DC Affordable Law Firm Fellow while earning her LL.M. in Advocacy from Georgetown University Law Center.

Tonya Harris
University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law
Tonya.Harris1@udc.edu

Tonya Harris is a rising 3L at the University of the District of Columbia Law School. She completed her undergraduate and master’s degrees at Virginia State University, and a Ph.D. with Capella University. In addition to attending law school, she works full-time as a sixth grade World Geography teacher in the nation’s capital, is the Board President of Be That G.I.R.L., Inc., which is a nonprofit designed to help females who exhibit risky behaviors, and co-author of a children’s book entitled, “I Am Who I Am.”

Last summer she interned with the Office of General Counsel for the District of Columbia Public Schools. This summer, Tonya plans to serve as an extern in the Washington Field Office for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Both her internship and externship will greatly enhance Tonya in her endeavors after law school, as she seeks to conjoin her love for working in school systems with her new passion, which is labor and employment law.