scholars Archives - WE Blog @ AABANY

October 22, 2021October 22, 2021

Don Liu Featured on Ascend Leadership’s #TheOtherSide

Ascend Leadership, one of the largest professional membership organizations that represent the interests of Asian American/Pacific Islander professionals within North America, has featured Don Liu in its #TheOtherSide campaign.

Don Liu currently serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Legal and Risk Officer at Target Corporation. Despite his notable successes, Mr. Liu’s career path demonstrates the prevalence of discrimination in Asian American professional life.

Don, a graduate of Columbia Law School, was one of many Asian American business and professional leaders invited to discuss their perspectives on Asian Americans and the workplace as part of Ascend Leadership’s #TheOtherSide campaign. Mr. Liu reflected on his encounters with racial stereotyping during his extensive and distinguished legal career.

In his first year of practice, Mr. Liu was exposed to others’ characterization of him as the “stereotyped Asian American worker bee.” He was assigned to work on a large case simply because of the false impression that he “would never miss a typo.”

“I guess I should be thankful, but on the other hand, that’s so unlike me,” Mr. Liu notes. “I’m a big thinker, strategic thinker. I think that’s my strength. I was not going to wind up being that stereotyped Asian American worker bee.”

To watch Don Liu’s interview for the #TheOtherSide campaign, click here.

To learn more about the #TheOtherSide campaign, click here.

To help ensure that future leaders in the legal profession do not succumb to the same stereotyping that Don faced, two Past Presidents of AABANY, Jean Lee and Mike Huang, founded the Don H. Liu Scholars Program in 2014. The Program seeks to identify, cultivate and inspire future Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) leaders within the legal profession to address the single most important reality facing AAPI professionals today: the barrier to advancement.

To support emerging AAPI leaders, the Program continues to award each of three Scholars a financial scholarship of $15,000. The Scholars also receive mentorship and assistance with their career development from leading AAPI lawyers from across AABANY’s network.
The deadline for consideration for the 2021 Don H. Liu Scholarship is November 15, 2021. For more information as well as application information, click here.

March 8, 2019

Friday Evening Lecture Series: Asian/Asian American Scholars of Education

On Friday, March 8, 2019, AAARI, a CUNY-wide scholarly research and resource center on policies and issues that affect Asians and Asian Americans, is holding a talk, Asian/Asian American Scholars of Education: 21st Century Pedagogies, Perspectives, and Experiences, by Nicholas D. Hartlep & Daisy Ball from 6pm to 8pm, at 25 West 43rd Street, 10th Floor, Room 1000, between 5th & 6th Avenues, Manhattan.

The talk is free and open to the general public. To RSVP for this talk, please visit https://19-03-08hartlep.eventbrite.com. Please be prepared to present proper identification when entering the building lobby. If you are unable to attend the talk, streaming video and audio podcast will be available online the following week.

Nicholas D. Hartlep and Daisy Ball will discuss their book Asian/American Scholars of Education: 21st Century Pedagogies, Perspectives, and Experiences, which shares the knowledge and travails of Asian/American luminaries in the field of education. This unique collection of essays acknowledges the struggle that Asian/American Education scholars have faced when it comes to being regarded as legitimate scholars deserving of endowed or distinguished status.

Books will be available for purchase ($40 each, cash and credit card accepted) and signing after their talk.

October 22, 2018

Don H. Liu Scholars Program 2019

Applications may now be submitted for the 2019 Don H. Liu Scholars Program. The Program was founded in 2014 by two past presidents of the Asian American Bar Association of New York. The Program seeks to identify and cultivate future Asian American leaders in the legal community to address the single most important reality facing Asian American professionals today – the barrier to advancement.

This year, the Selection Committee will select up to 3 scholars. Each scholar will be awarded $15,000 and have access to prominent mentors, including Don H. Liu, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of Target Corporation. Additionally, scholars will have assistance in securing summer internships. Details and more information about the Program can be found here: http://www.donhliuscholars.org/ and on the

Don H. Liu Scholars Program 2017 Annual Report.

To be eligible for the Program, the applicant must be of Asian descent and be enrolled full-time as a 1L (and be expected to graduate in 2021) in a law school in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania or the District of Columbia. Application materials are due on November 23, 2018. For more details on the application process and eligibility requirements, please follow the link in the title to see the application package.

AABANY encourages any interested parties who meet the above requirements to apply. If there are any questions, please feel to email Ligee Gu, [email protected]

July 27, 2012

Milbank Diversity Scholars Program

Our friends from the Inter-APALSA Council passed along this announcement:

Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP is pleased to accept applications to its Diversity Scholars Program. Milbank is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where the individual differences among us are (i) understood, respected and appreciated, (ii) recognized as sources of strength for the Firm, and (iii) valued as qualities that enrich the environment in which we work.

Each year Milbank selects law students who will receive a salaried 2L summer associate position and a $50,000 scholarship. Factors considered in the selection of Milbank Diversity Scholars include academic achievement, demonstrated leadership ability, excellent writing and interpersonal skills, and a sincere interest in our practice. Students who are members of groups traditionally under-represented in large law firms are encouraged to apply. To be named a Milbank Diversity Scholar, candidates must be in good standing at an ABA accredited law school and have successfully completed their first year of a full-time JD program. Interested candidates must submit an application form, essay, official law school transcript and resume by August 15th. Application forms and more information on the program can be found here.

Milbank’s summer program is extremely comprehensive and provides summer associates the opportunity to rotate through several of the Firm’s practice areas. Our Recruiting Committee and practice groups ensure that each summer associate receives a broad and challenging experience. A variety of professional trainings and opportunities to connect socially round out the experience.

What sets the Milbank experience apart?

Our diversified global practice

Our robust Diversity and Women’s Initiative programs and active affinity groups

Our award-winning pro bono program

Our innovative professional development offerings

We recently launched Milbank@Harvard, a multi-year program on Harvard’s campus that helps our associates develop cutting-edge skills and expertise that clients value in their legal advisors.

For more information on Milbank, please visit www.milbank.com . If you have questions regarding the scholarship, please contact Salila Yohn, Manager of Diversity and Inclusion, at [email protected].