The Ulu Lehua Scholars Program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law recently earned the prestigious 2024 Diversity Leadership Award from the American Bar Association (ABA).
The award recognizes a program’s outstanding commitment to promoting access and inclusion in the legal profession to women, people of color, people with disabilities, and people of different sexual orientations and gender identities.
This is the first time the UH law school has received this award. Professor Troy J.H. Andrade, director of the Ulu Lehua Scholars Program, accepted the award at the ABA Litigation Section’s annual conference in Washington, D.C. on May 2.
“This recognition is a testament to the 50 years of students who have gone through the program and become leaders in our community,” said Andrade, who is also an Ulu Lehua graduate. “I’m honored to be given the kuleana (responsibility) of supporting our Lehua Scholars and carrying on the legacy of access and opportunity that has been created by my predecessors like Linda Krieger, Chris Iijima, Judy Weightman and George Johnson, to name a few.”
Established in 1974, the Ulu Lehua Scholars Program, formerly known as the Pre-Admission Program, ensures that Hawaiʻi’s diversity—in its many forms—is reflected in the law school’s student body.
Each year, the law school selects 12 incoming students who have overcome adversity, and demonstrated their academic potential, leadership ability, and commitment to social justice. The program provides students with support, mentorship and individualized learning opportunities.
“I am so proud of our Ulu Lehua Scholars and the indelible mark they have made in our Richardson community and beyond,” said UH law school Dean Camille Nelson. “We look forward to many more years of this program’s success and dedication to serving Hawaiʻi’s diverse communities.”
The Ulu Lehua Scholars program is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. For more information, visit the UH law school website.
