Silver Law Firm and its Oakland criminal defense lawyers want to help high-achieving students pursue their academic goals. That’s why the firm created its Improving Criminal Justice Reform: Advocating for the Voiceless Scholarship. This scholarship recognizes students who engage with conversations about new ways to make the criminal justice system more equitable.
This year, the $2,500 scholarship goes to Olaoluwa “Roxy” Adeleke-Wales. Adeleke-Wales thoughtfully critiqued modern approaches to immigration oversight and recommended several concrete modifications that could make immigration law better serve people who have, in recent years, been rendered increasingly voiceless by political forces.
The legal team with Silver Law Firm admires Adeleke-Wales’ candor and applauds her commitment to legal and community innovation. We hope that the Improving Criminal Justice Reform: Advocating for the Voiceless Scholarship will help her bring that same innovative spirit to her collegiate career.
Getting to Know Olaoluwa “Roxy” Adeleke-Wales
Olaoluwa “Roxy” Adeleke-Wales is currently a Sociology major at Prince George’s Community College. She intends to transfer to a new university in the fall, where she wants to major in Sociology, as well as Government and Politics. She’s an active student with an admirable commitment to improving herself, her community, and her education.
Adeleke-Wales recently completed an internship with a delegate in her state’s legislature and has served on the executive board of a non-profit called Brown Kids Read, where she worked as the program’s communication director.
After transferring colleges, she plans to complete her undergraduate degree and start law school. She hopes to one day practice immigration law and, eventually, to run for office so she can streamline America’s immigration process.
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Tackling Modern Concerns About Immigration Injustice
Adeleke-Wales’ scholarship essay addresses an increasingly pressing concern about the way that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) interacts with immigrants and American citizens. Adeleke-Wales notes that, in the past several years, the number of immigration detention centers in the United States has increased exponentially.
She compares the government overreach that has led to the detainment of thousands of visa-holders and even United States citizens to efforts enacted during the War on Drugs. Adeleke-Wales is thorough in her citations, bringing forward reports completed by Camilo Montoya-Gálvez when emphasizing ICE’s stunning campaign.
When Does the Law Fall Short?
When discussing how ICE treats immigrants, Adeleke-Wales said: “There is a very fine line between what is deemed constitutional or not when it comes to ICE detaining people. ICE agents can stop and detain people they suspect of illegally entering the United States, but that then raises a question.
“What factors do these agents use in deciding whether someone has ‘illegally’ entered the country or not?” she continues. “Often based on ethnic features and language performance, violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, and national origin.”
She notes that while ICE was originally founded in response to a terrorist attack, no one has ever addressed the “numerous flaws within its operating system.” The laws that allow ICE to indiscriminately detain people the institution finds offensive overlook the complexities of American citizenship and residency, making ICE a vehicle for discriminatory practices.
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Olaoluwa “Roxy” Adeleke-Wales Plans to Tackle Injustice Head On
It’s in response to ICE’s sweeping detainment efforts that Adeleke-Wales aims to practice law. She hopes that after she transfers to a university where she can major in Sociology and Government and Politics, she can gain the educational foundation she needs to go to law school and better understand “the systems and policies that brought us to where we are today.”
She intends to get her Juris Doctor and take the bar exam, after which she wants to practice immigration law and help immigrants navigate the legal process to become legal residents. “I will also work hard to close the gaps in our legal systems that allow for discrimination
in immigration cases,” she says.
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Learn More About the Improving Criminal Justice Reform: Advocating for the Voiceless Scholarship
Silver Law Firm makes its Improving Criminal Justice Reform: Advocating for the Voiceless Scholarship available to undergraduate and graduate students interested in pursuing careers in the legal field, including as social workers, public defenders, and district attorneys. The scholarship promises $2,500 to a student who can find ways to make the laws more equitable.
Students applying for the Improving Criminal Justice Reform: Advocating for the Voiceless Scholarship must specifically discuss how they intend to use their education to commit to criminal justice reform and “amplify the voices of those who are often unheard or underserved.”
Applicants can visit the scholarship’s terms and conditions for more information about its essay requirements and the questions they need to answer, including questions about their professional goals and how they can use their education to impact the criminal justice system. Check the updated page for the scholarship’s upcoming submission deadline.
Three Cheers for Olaoluwa “Roxy” Adeleke-Wales!
When closing her essay, Adeleke-Wales says, “I love America, but I would be a less responsible citizen to go on with my day-to-day life without acknowledging that this country was built on the backs of people and was occupied by people who are now being forcefully removed. I have a civic and moral duty to make a change in a way that I know I can.”
Adeleke-Wales’ commitment to smoothing the way for people who’ve had their voices silenced reflects the goal of the Improving Criminal Justice Reform: Advocating for the Voiceless Scholarship perfectly. The legal team with Silver Law Firm applauds her thoughtfulness and hopes that its $2,500 in financial aid can help her continue pursuing her college career.
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