GULFPORT, Fla. – Stetson University College of Law has named a rising third-year student as the inaugural recipient of its Public Service Scholarship. 

Rickisha Hightower-Singletary has been awarded a full-tuition scholarship for her final year of law school based on her history of public service and commitment to follow that path after graduation.

After graduating from Stetson Law in 2010, this inspirational student plans to work in the greater Tampa Bay area as a civil rights advocate for low-income and homeless families.

“I think that public service is required of us as individuals,” said Hightower-Singletary. Over the past decade, Hightower-Singletary, who recently became a mother, has volunteered as a tutor for low-income youth and interned with the Victim Witness Assistance Program in the Albany-Dougherty County District Attorney’s Office in Albany, Ga.

“Countless individuals need assistance and voices that will advocate for them and change society,” Hightower-Singletary said.

Hightower-Singletary received a Florida Bar Foundation fellowship to work with the Community Law Program this summer. She has completed more than 120 pro bono hours with the Southern Legal Counsel advocating for the homeless. As a member of Stetson’s Black Law Students Association, she has helped restore the voting rights of felons through voter registration drives. Through Stetson’s Amnesty International chapter, she has worked to increase awareness of both the crisis in Darfur and women’s legal rights. Hightower-Singletary also has served as a Teaching Fellow, Public Service Fellow, and Guardian ad Litem volunteer at Stetson Law.

“Stetson’s unique scholarship recognizes the importance of public service and rewards the student who has demonstrated a prior commitment and dedication to a career in public interest,” said Director of Career Development Cathy Fitch.

The scholarship will be awarded annually to a law student in his or her final two semesters. Scholarship recipients are expected to work in full-time public service for at least three years following graduation.  

Editor’s Note: To download a high-resolution image of Hightower-Singletary, visit http://www.law.stetson.edu/tmpl/news/article.aspx?id=6792 .

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