The Asian Bar Association of Washington would like to congratulate all of our scholarship and fellowship recipients for 2025.  Please join us in congratulating:

Yamashita Scholarship: Isabell Murray

Isabell Murray is a proud Korean American and first-generation law student at Seattle University School of Law. Raised in a military family, she learned early the value of discipline, service, and adaptability—qualities that continue to shape her today. Before law school, Isabell worked as a Juvenile Detention Officer, where she created advocacy programs for LGBTQIA+ youth and helped reform disciplinary policies. This experience deepened her commitment to pursuing justice through compassion and accountability. Over the summer, she interned with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office as a Rule 9, where she worked on DUI cases and witnessed the profound impact of fair and ethical prosecution. Now serving as President of the Student Bar Association, and as a member of both Law Review and Moot Court, Isabell is dedicated to creating spaces of representation and trust between the legal system and the communities it serves.

Sharon A. Sakamoto President’s Scholarship: Sañata Dawa 

Sañata Dawa is a 2L at Seattle University. She was born in Baguio City, Philippines and descends from the Ifugao tribe. Sañata hopes to continue her elders’ legacies of service by pursuing a career in civil litigation. Sañata is honored to receive the Sharon Sakamoto Scholarship and aims to embody Past President Sakamoto’s courage and commitment to equity.

In the community, Sañata enjoys providing language services and wellness programming in her role at Seattle Parks and Recreation. She is also passionate about creating free resources for immigrants as a Watson Immigration Law media assistant. On campus, Sañata serves as the Filipino American Law Student Association Vice President, Seattle Journal for Social Justice Staff Editor, Dispute Resolution Board Member, and Student Bar Association Council Member. She also supports students as a Civil Procedure Teaching Assistant.

Sañata dedicates this scholarship to her parents and fellow First-generation Americans in law school.

Kim Tran Scholarship: Isabel Dorn 

Isabel Dorn is a first-year law student at Seattle University School of Law. Originally from Wisconsin, she completed her undergraduate degree at Lawrence University before moving to Seattle to pursue her legal career. In her first semester of law school, she has already joined research projects on reproductive justice, conditions at the Northwest Detention Center, and immigration policy under the Trump administration. She currently serves as a 1L representative for the Asian Law Students Association and the International Refugee Assistance Project, and she is a First Year Fellow in Seattle U’s public interest cohort. As the daughter of a Vietnam War refugee, Isabel is passionate about immigration advocacy, racial justice, and other human rights issues.

ABAWSSF General Scholarship: Chloe Chu

Chloe Chu is a third-year law student at Seattle University School of Law and is the first in her family to attend law school. As the daughter of first-generation Taiwanese immigrants, Chloe grew up in Washington, where she developed a strong commitment to community and mentorship. During high school, she volunteered at the Eastside Tennis Center and Central Park Tennis Club, mentoring and coaching youth and players of all abilities. In college, she organized fundraisers supporting COVID-19 relief and AAPI organizations. Today, she continues her service through the Chinese Information and Service Center Legal Clinic, the King County Bar Association’s Neighborhood Legal Clinics, and Northwest Kidney Centers.

At Seattle University, Chloe mentors fellow students through the Asian Law Students Association and the First-Generation Lawyers Coalition. She is exploring a future career in corporate, tax, or real estate law, all while remaining dedicated to uplifting and advocating for the AANHPI community.

ABAWSSF General Scholarship: Stella Moon

ABAWSSF General Scholarship: Tasbeeh Chowdhury

Tasbeeh Chowdhury is a second-year law student at Gonzaga University. She was born and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and is a first-generation college and law student. During college, Tasbeeh discovered a deep passion for community service, which has continued to grow in law school through her volunteer work with the CISC Pro Bono Clinic, where she helps provide legal support to underserved communities. She is also committed to advocating for the AANHPI community within her campus. Tasbeeh serves as Secretary of the Asian Pacific Islander Law Caucus and as a representative for the Multicultural Law Caucus, a student organization she helped establish on campus. She also serves as the student liaison for the Asian Bar Association of Washington. Tasbeeh is dedicated to helping immigrant and first-generation students access the kinds of resources and support that would have made a difference in her own journey.

Spring Blossom Fellowship: Jason Lu

Jason is a third-year law student at University of Washington School of Law. This past summer as a Spring Blossom Fellow, Jason had the privilege of working with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) in the Naturalization unit, which focuses on advising clients on the significant decision of applying for citizenship. This unit’s work supported clients from all around the world as they navigated the increasingly intimidating U.S. immigration system. Most of Jason’s cases this summer involved what are often called “crimmigration” matters, or cases at the intersection of criminal and immigration law. He assisted with legal research, prepared case summaries, and helped clients understand how their criminal records might affect their immigration options.

In his summary of his summer internship, Jason wrote “[w]orking on crimmigration matters showed me how deeply intertwined the immigration and criminal justice systems are, and strengthened my resolve to build a career at their intersection.”

Spring Blossom Fellowship: Patrick Halm

Patrick is a second-year law student at University of Washington School of Law. This past summer as a Spring Blossom Fellow, Patrick had the privilege of working at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Unit, which provides free legal services to immigrant survivors of domestic violence, trafficking, and other serious crimes. Patrick worked with clients seeking immigration relief by drafting motions to pause or close ongoing removal proceedings, responding to Requests for Evidence from US Citizenship and Immigration Services, and completing petitions on behalf of clients for U and T Visas based on their status as survivors of serious crimes.

In his summary of his summer internship, Patrick wrote “I was grateful for the chance to make meaningful contributions…. This experience not only deepened my understanding of immigration law but also affirmed the importance of supporting organizations like NWIRP that make due process a reality for those who would otherwise face the system alone.”

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2025 SPRING BLOSSOM FELLOWSHIP

The Asian Bar Association of Washington is excited to announce our TWO Spring Blossom Fellows for 2025! Congratulations Jason Lu and Patrick Halm! Below are Jason's and Patrick's articles discussing their work this past summer.

Funding for the fellowship is made possible by a donation from Hon. Lorraine Lee (ret.) and John Felleisen, in partnership with the Asian Bar Association of Washington Student Scholarship Foundation.  The fellowship is awarded in the name of, and in honor and memory of, Chun Lan “Spring Blossom” Ng Woo, 1918-2008, an immigrant woman from China who lived her life with integrity, courage, and resilience.   

For more information, please contact: Monica Keo-Newton, ABAW Scholarship Chair, at Monica.Keo-Newton@stoel.com.

Jason Lu:

This summer, I had the privilege of working with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) as a recipient of the Spring Blossom Fellowship, an opportunity for which I am sincerely grateful. The fellowship not only made my work possible but also affirmed the ABAW’s endeavor in supporting law students pursuing public interest careers.

NWIRP is Washington State’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting justice by defending and advancing the rights of immigrants through direct legal services, systemic advocacy, and community education. I was the intern for NWIRP’s Naturalization unit, which focuses on advising clients on the significant decision of applying for citizenship. Our work supported clients from all around the world as they navigated the increasingly intimidating U.S. immigration system. 

The work was not without its challenges. Immigration law is notoriously complicated, a patchwork of statutes, regulations, and constantly shifting policies. As a summer intern, I often found myself poring over dense case files, researching and writing novel arguments with no clear precedent, or checking and re-checking that every form was accurate down to the smallest detail. There is little margin for error in immigration cases, as even a minor mistake can lead to life-altering consequences. While the responsibility sometimes felt daunting, I was grateful for the guidance of the other attorneys in NWIRP’s naturalization unit, who were always willing to mentor and support me.

In addition to this work, most of my cases this summer involved what are often called “crimmigration” matters, or cases at the intersection of criminal and immigration law. These cases were particularly complex because a client’s past or pending criminal charges could have profound consequences for their immigration status, sometimes even determining whether they could remain in the United States at all. I assisted with legal research, prepared case summaries, and helped clients understand how their criminal records might affect their immigration options. Working on crimmigration matters showed me how deeply intertwined the immigration and criminal justice systems are, and strengthened my resolve to build a career at their intersection. Perhaps my most rewarding experience was having the opportunity to work on a case involving a client who was detained in the Northwest Detention Center. I researched case law, and drafted a motion requesting that the Immigration Court release our client and terminate the charges of deportability. Upon the conclusion of my summer, I learned that the Immigration Judge had granted our motion.

In the end, my time at NWIRP was not just an internship. It was a transformative experience that deepened my understanding of the law’s power, its limitations, and the profound responsibility lawyers carry when they stand beside those seeking help. As I look ahead, I will carry the knowledge and skills I’ve developed from this summer. The lessons I’ve learned, both practical and personal, will continue to shape the kind of advocate I want to be. Above all, I will carry with me the stories of the clients I served, whose resilience in the face of hardship inspires me to fight harder for justice. I am deeply grateful to both NWIRP and the ABAW for making this summer possible, and for giving me a foundation from which to build my career.

Patrick Halm:

This summer I had the privilege of working at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) as a legal intern in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Unit. The VAWA Unit provides free legal services to immigrant survivors of domestic violence, trafficking, and other serious crimes. Under the supervision of an attorney, I carried my own caseload and worked directly with clients seeking immigration relief who could not otherwise afford an attorney. Much of my work involved drafting motions to pause or close ongoing removal proceedings, responding to Requests for Evidence from US Citizenship and Immigration Services, and completing petitions on behalf of clients for U and T Visas based on their status as survivors of serious crimes.

Through this work, I saw both the challenges and the importance of NWIRP’s mission. In the United States, individuals in immigration court have no guaranteed right to an attorney, and millions navigate proceedings alone each year. Organizations like NWIRP fill a critical gap by providing representation and advocacy that can change the course of a client’s life. Even with limited resources and overwhelming demand, the attorneys I worked alongside showed extraordinary commitment to ensuring that as many people as possible had access to justice.

As an intern, I was grateful for the chance to make meaningful contributions—drafting motions filed in court, conducting screening interviews to assess eligibility for U and T visas, and observing hearings to help clients understand their rights. This experience not only deepened my understanding of immigration law but also affirmed the importance of supporting organizations like NWIRP that make due process a reality for those who would otherwise face the system alone.

I am deeply thankful to the Spring Blossom Fellowship and the Asian Bar Association of Washington for making this opportunity possible. Their support allowed me to spend the summer learning from dedicated attorneys, working directly with clients, and gaining experience that has helped me further develop a career in public interest law.

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