A formal photo of Yohannes Ejigu wearing business attire
Yohannes Ejigu

Rising Temple Law 2L Yohannes Ejigu has been selected for the prestigious Equal Justice Works Immigration Summer Legal Corps Fellowship.

Selected from 375 applications, Ejigu is one of 20 law students who will serve in the 2020 class of Equal Justice Works Immigration Summer Legal Corps. “Yohannes is a terrific law student and we are proud to support his work to defend the rights of immigrants and ensure that they have access to legal services in a wide range of immigration matters,” said Aoife Delargy Lowe, director of law school engagement & advocacy at Equal Justice Works.

Through the Immigration Summer Legal Corps, program participants, called Student Fellows, are hosted at legal services organizations, where they spend eight to ten weeks during the summer helping to expand high-quality comprehensive legal services and resources for low-income immigrants. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Student Fellows will work remotely this summer to support the efforts of their host organization.

Ejigu’s host organization is HIAS Pennsylvania, where he is spending the summer assisting staff attorneys in providing services to low-income immigrants regarding adjustment of status, removal defense, family unification, citizenship, and asylum in over 18 counties.

“I am extremely grateful and appreciative for being selected as a fellow for the 2020 Immigration Summer Legal Corps Fellowship,” Ejigu said. “This fellowship, besides conferring several other opportunities and privileges, allows me to give back to the immigrant community that my family and I are a part of by enabling me to provide mindful and informed legal services to people with similar backgrounds as mine so that they can successfully execute that crucial leap towards fully realizing their own potential in the face of various socioeconomic barriers. Working at HIAS has already given me important experience that is critical to my future plans of practicing in and being involved with Immigration Law.”