Jonathan Giardina ‘26 had to shake off some nerves before presenting a motion to dismiss in court, where he was assisting on a case as an intern at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (LSHV). It was a formative experience for the rising 2L, who is working at LSHV through the Law School’s Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program thanks to the generosity of alumna Genie Cesar-Fabian ‘04.
Coordinated by the Public Interest Center under the leadership of Center Director Jeanne Ortiz-Ortiz, the annual Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program provides stipends to eligible students who are working full time for the summer without pay in nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies, where they focus on providing legal assistance and advocacy to traditionally underserved clients, groups, or interests. The Program’s funding comes from a pool of sources that includes endowment funds, foundation support, alumni donations, fellowships sponsored by the Law School’s academic centers, and fundraising events and appeals.
“We’re grateful for the support that allows us to give St. John’s Law students this unrivaled opportunity to gain practical experience while serving the greater good,” Ortiz-Ortiz says. “Our pillar fundraiser is the annual Public Interest Auction, which students organize and run online and in person over multiple days. “This year, with exceptional leadership from Director of Fundraising Natalie Mishkin ‘24 and Associate Directors Justin Gorgchuck ‘25 and Erin Kelly ‘24, we met our ambitious goal of awarding fellowships to all eligible students. Assisting them every step of the way were incomparable volunteers from the Public Interest Law Students Association who chaired committees, fielded donations, marketed the event, and managed the auction behind the scenes.”
View 2024 Public Interest Auction Photo Album
In all, 81 students received 2024 summer public interest fellowships made possible by $468,838 in total funding. “This year’s financial support includes proceeds from the SHEro Challenge led by Rose DiMartino ’81, who matched gifts from Challenge donors who funded half of a Summer Public Interest Fellowship,” Ortiz-Ortiz explains. “I’m continually inspired by the generosity of our alumni community. Over the past several months, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many of our alumni. I’ve noticed that they share a deep commitment to St. John’s Law. They are grateful for their legal education and are dedicated to paying it forward.”
That gratitude and dedication were on proud display at this year’s Public Interest Auction as Genie Cesar-Fabian received the Erica B. Fine ’82 Public Interest Champion Award in recognition of her generous support of public interest students and programs. A former summer public interest fellow, Cesar-Fabian now generously funds several fellowships for deserving students. “As a Fellow, I spent my 1L summer at Her Justice, advocating for survivors of domestic violence,” she shares. “Seeing the power of—and need for—serving others as a voice in the legal system changed my life profoundly.”
One of the clients Cesar-Fabian assisted during her fellowship summer got in touch with her years later. “We met and she told me that my work on her behalf inspired her, and helped her find her own inner strength,” Cesar-Fabian recalls. “It was a profound experience, and it’s why the summer public interest fellowship is so important to me. I really had no idea that my work as a law student helping one client articulate her story to a court could be so incredibly life changing. That’s just one client. I was just one student. The multiplier effect there is extraordinary.”
As grateful as Cesar-Fabian is for her fellowship experience and its ripple effect, this summer’s Cesar-Fabian fellows are equally grateful for the experience they are gaining because of her generosity. While Jonathan Giardina has been honing his client interview, research, and communications skills at LSHV, Nathalie Amazan ‘26 has been writing motions, attending court proceeding, and otherwise serving clients at Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (NDS). “It means a lot to me to receive this financial support from Genie Cesar-Fabian,” Amazan says. “Without the fellowship, it would have been nearly impossible for me to work as an intern. NDS has been a wonderful and valuable experience that makes me confident to continue on my law school and legal career path.”
Cesar-Fabian Fellow Kevely Molme ‘25 is also building practical knowledge and skills this summer as she interns at the New York State Supreme Court, Criminal Term in Queens. “I’ve had the opportunity to observe a case from its inception at the Supreme Court level—from jury selection to summation for closing argument,” she shares. “This opportunity has allowed me to know the importance of a trial. I appreciate the support from Genie Cesar-Fabian because it’s helped me to purchase lunch and maintain my monthly bills. I aspire, after law school, to pay it forward to law students who face similar temporary situations, and remind them to continue to pay it forward.”
As she sees her own experience mirrored in the experiences of today’s St. John’s Law students, Cesar-Fabian reaffirms her commitment to the Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program. “These fellowships facilitate situations where law students can change lives for the positive, and where the work they do can in turn have a profound, positive impact on their own lives. It’s rare that opportunities of this type are available, and if I can help be a part of growing the opportunities St. John’s can offer, I want to help.”