CUA Law students Rebecca DeVerter (2L) and Mariah Hosie (1L) were awarded the Women's Bar Association Foundation Founders Fellowship. Established in 2006 and awarded annually, the Fellowship supports an area law school and allows selected law students to work with local legal service providers on projects to benefit women and girls in our community.

This summer, DeVerter will be working at the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children where she will be researching and writing reports on topics such as: child pornography, child sex abuse, missing children, and sexual offender registration. Most of her work will be devoted to researching her passion, stricter law against child pornographers.

"I'm incredibly honored to be receiving the WBA Foundation Founders Fellowship, and I am incredibly lucky to work towards the advancement of the rights of children," DeVerter said. "Not only will I have the honor of working towards making the world a better and safer place for children, but I will also be honoring the Founders of the Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia by doing so."

Hoise will be working at AEquitas, a non-profit organization which seeks to improve the quality of justice in sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking, and human trafficking cases by developing, evaluating, and refining prosecution practices that increase victim safety and offender accountability. Hoise will be researching legislation concerning issues related to sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking, and human trafficking, and working with trail motions and briefs to assist with developing information for criminal prosecutors.

"I am very excited to have been awarded the Women's Bar Association Founders Fellowship, and grateful to be afforded the opportunity to work with AEquitas this summer," Hoise said.

Both students will be begin their Fellowships on May 14, 2018.