Finz & Finz, P.C. Announces the 2020 Scholarship Competition Winners

Finz & Finz, P.C. sponsors two scholarship competitions each year to help students fund their college and law school education. As the 2020 scholarship competition deadlines have passed, Finz & Finz, P.C. now proudly announces and congratulates the three winners of the 2020 Devante Lane Scholarship Competition and the three winners of the 2020 Fighting Injustice Scholarship Competition!

The 2020 Devante Lane Scholarship Competition was established in honor of Devante Lane, a young and vibrant member of the Bronx community who was the unintended victim of gun violence, and close friend of Finz & Finz, P.C. The scholarship competition seeks to promote education over violence and helps young Bronx residents fund their current or future college tuition and book fees. Students were asked to submit an application containing an essay that addressed how they would use their college education to give back to the Bronx community and reduce the epidemic of gun violence in New York.

The 2020 Fighting Injustice Scholarship Competition was established as a platform for students to express fresh perspectives and innovative ideas in the fight against injustice of all kinds. The competition was open to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. Students were asked to submit an application containing an essay that addressed how the events of 2020 impacted the fight against injustice and uplifted those who face unfair disadvantages.

The 2020 scholarship competitions each received an overwhelming number of applications and the six deserving winners are profiled below.

Devante Lane Scholarship Competition

• 1st Place Winner – Lucki Islam; a high school senior from the Bronx, Lucki was inspired to enter the Devante Lane Scholarship Competition on behalf of the “black and brown boys of the Bronx…and I’m also doing it for the kids that are grieving”. In her essay, Lucki wrote about learning from events of the past, “to understand that issues of inadequate housing, education, and livelihoods stem from historical issues of environmental racism.”
• 2nd Place Winner – Edward Mendoza; an electrical engineering student at Manhattan College, Edward was raised in the Bronx. He believes that the Devante Lane Scholarship Competition provided him with a platform to speak about something that greatly impacts his life – something about which he genuinely cares. The competition was extremely motivating to him. Edward says, “I’m really excited… and I plan to use the money towards textbooks” for the upcoming semester. Edward hopes future applicants will follow his lead as one of the inaugural winners of the Devante Lane Scholarship Competition and wishes them the best of luck.
• 3rd Place Winner – Victoria Owusu; a 16-year-old high school student who intends to study psychology upon graduation, Victoria highlighted the importance of mental health resources and how broader adoption of such resources can change the trajectory of the gun violence epidemic in the Bronx. Victoria hopes to “make Devante proud” and utilize the funds in her ongoing pursuit of higher education.

Fighting Injustice Scholarship Competition

• 1st Place Winner – Mehak Sukhera; a 15-year-old high school student, Mehak is passionate about fighting social injustice. In her submission, she astutely pointed out that, although we live in a modern society, social injustice in all forms remains widespread. Mehak implores the next generation to “learn from the mistakes of the people who lived in the past” and build a brighter future. To Mehak, winning this scholarship “opened up so many opportunities and really motivates [her] to apply for more scholarships” to help accomplish her academic objectives.
• 2nd Place Winner – Dustin Dutchuk; a law student at DePaul University, Dustin described his limited exposure to racial diversity as a child and young adult, so he took it upon himself to learn about different cultures and perspectives by living abroad for two years. Dustin believes that the events of 2020 motivated him to enter the Fighting Injustice Scholarship Competition, and now that he has been selected as a winner, he is further motivated to pursue a career as a lawyer and help make a difference in the fight against social injustice.
• 3rd Place Winner – Britnee Blake; a student at Howard W. Blake High School in Florida, Britnee described how she believed social media impacted the Black Lives Matter movement. In her essay, Britnee states, “this rise of digital activism provided the confidence and resources for people to become community leaders.” As a winner of the Fighting Injustice Scholarship Competition, Britnee is grateful for the scholarship funds, but more importantly, Britnee believes that the scholarship gave her an opportunity to speak about the important historical moments of 2020 and shine a spotlight on the fight against all manners of injustice.

The next generation of students has an opportunity to build a future with fresh perspectives and innovative ideas – and Finz & Finz, P.C. will continue to encourage high school, undergraduate, and graduate students to share their voice and bring forth a brighter society for us all. Stay tuned for the firm’s 2021 scholarship competitions, which will be found at www.finzfirm.com.

Media inquiries can be directed to scholarship@finzfirm.com.