Paul Van Hermert Memorial Scholarship Helps Future Law Students Fund Their Studies
Panter, Panter, & Sampedro, P.A., has proudly sponsored the annual Paul Van Hermert Memorial Scholarship since the early 2000s. The scholarship, in partnership with the South Miami Kendall Bar Association, is provided to a law student who demonstrates the appropriate criteria, including academic excellence and financial need.
In 2005, that student was Carolina Rohrig. Her story is one of inspiration and a shining example of why our firm continues to sponsor scholarships such as this one. Carolina recently contacted the scholarship team and we would like to share her story. Here is what she had to say:
I wanted to express to you how much the scholarship by the South Miami Kendall Bar Association meant to me. I think I always wanted to be a lawyer since I can remember. This is certainly so when I was in high school and applying to college in 2005. You may not know or remember, but at the time that I was applying for this scholarship, my family and I were going through some rough times. My parents had both lost their jobs and even though I had been accepted to attend the University of Miami that upcoming fall, I was seriously worried how I would pay for school and secretly contemplating delaying enrollment to the University of Miami if the financial matters at home did not improve soon.
When I was selected to be a recipient of the scholarship, it was certainly a turning point for me and my education. Not only did the scholarship help me pay through my first year of school and reinforce my hope to attend the university that fall, but it also ushered, in my mind, many blessings. Shortly after receiving the scholarship, the University of Miami offered to me significant help to attend school and over time, my parents were able to find permanent positions. I am very grateful to the South Miami Kendall Bar Association as this scholarship was awarded to me at a very crucial time in my life and I feel that even now, these words do not adequately convey how thankful I am. I hope at the very least I can one day return the same favor to someone else.
I am proud to say that since being awarded the scholarship, I graduated from the University of Miami in the top 4 percent of my class in three years with a bachelor’s degree in English and minors in criminology and business law/legal studies. I graduated cum laude this past May (2011) from the University of Miami School of Law and was admitted to the Florida Bar in September.
I am currently pursuing a temporary post-graduate fellowship with the City of Miami City Attorney’s Office, where I am assigned to the Litigation Division. I have been in this position since November and will continue there until May of this year. I mentioned all this because without the scholarship I received in 2005, I would most likely not be where I am today.
Panter, Panter, & Sampedro has been active in the South Miami Kendall Bar Association for many years. In fact, Mitchell Panter is a past president of the local group. For more information on the association, please visit http://smkba.com/
