Oregon Law 2L student Andrea Welsh was surprised with a $25,000 scholarship to assist with costs of her 3L legal education. The scholarship was granted by AccessLex Institute, a nonprofit organization committed to helping talented, purpose-driven students find their path from aspiring lawyer to fulfilled professional.
This is the second year in row an Oregon Law student has received a major financial gift for their participation in MAX by AccessLex which provides students with education, resources, and information to help them build a strong financial foundation.
“During Covid I began a commitment to learn about finances as I was making the decision if I should go to law school,” said Welsh. “Financial literacy is key to building a strong foundation for both personal and professional success. Money is very important to law students and the opportunity to learn these important tools along with my legal education has made a huge difference in my ability to achieve my goals for both me and my family.”
Welsh is a staff editor for the Oregon Law Review, an LRW Tutor, and a volunteer with the Civics Learning Project. She has served as both a Public Law and Policy Fellow and a Wayne Morse Center Fellow. After law school, she looks forward to continuing her public service through public policy at both the local and state levels.
A Tualatin native, Welsh said she is excited to be transitioning back to Oregon after twelve years working in Washington, D.C. and abroad with international nonprofit organizations. “After participating in democracy and governance programs abroad, I found I really wanted to shift my focus to do that at home,” Welsh added. “The past administration gave me some fuel about how important local politics and local government is, so a lot of my studies at Oregon Law are focused on state government, institutions, and public policy.”
“As the nation’s largest legal education nonprofit, AccessLex Institute helps ensure students have the capability to make informed decisions about their finances,” explained Justin Zieman, Regional Director, Central at the AccessLex Center for Education and Financial Capability. "We pride ourselves on making law school more accessible and affordable.”