Samuel T. Gomez Award: Past Recipients
2024- Abena Ampofo, Temple University Beasley School of Law
Abena Ampofo is a second-year law student at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Before law school, she served as an Area Manager with Amazon Logistics, overseeing delivery operations and implementing lean processes. Abena also tutored middle school students in math through the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Urban Education. She holds a B.S. in Psychology and Africana Studies, with minors in Sociology and Swahili, from the University of Pittsburgh. Abena is a Big Sister with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program of Bucks County, offering support, mentorship, and positive role modeling to herLittle Sister. With her passion for law and a commitment to effecting positive change, Abena looks forward to leveraging her legal education as a tool for creating meaningful impact.
2024- Reese Lemke, Temple University Beasley School of Law
Reese Lemke is a 1L at Temple Beasley School of Law who was born and raised in the Philadelphia area. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Africana Studies in 2021 from Franklin and Marshall College. Reese worked for two years in education. The first year she worked as a seventh grade math teacher at First Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School in Kensington, Philadelphia. The second year, she volunteered as an Americorp Vista for the University of Pennsylvania Netter Center for Community Partnerships. In these roles, she focused on serving the youth of Philadelphia through academia, managing home values, and encouraging self confidence. Reese is now exploring the legal field as another tool to expand her capacity as an educator and youth advocate in Philadelphia and beyond.
2020- Jeffrey Simon, University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law
Jeff Simon is a 1L student at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. He is pursuing a joint JD/MPA degree with Penn and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. Prior to starting his degree program,Jeff taught chemistry and forensic science for three years at Passaic High School in Passaic, New Jersey, through Teach For America. He then served for four years as a Program Manager at iMentor, a nonprofit that matches high school students with mentors and supports them on the path to college completion. Jeff supported a case load of students and mentors through the college admissions and financial aid process. He received a B.S. in Chemistry at the University of Michigan and a M.S. in Chemistry from Stanford University. During his time at Penn Law, Jeff has volunteered with the Youth Education Project, preparing a high school government class for a moot court competition, and currently serves as a 1L board member for the Penn Law Immigrant Rights Project.
2019 - Sarah Lucia Winston, Temple University Beasley School of Law
Sarah Winston is a 2L at Temple University Beasley School of Law, pursuing a J.D./M.P.H. in Health Policy and Management. Prior to law school, Sarah served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Federated States of Micronesia on the island of Pohnpei, and as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions. She received her B.A. in Anthropology and Spanish from the University of Pittsburgh. During her time at Temple Law, Sarah has served as a summer legal intern with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Elder Justice & Protective Services in Washington, D.C. and as an investigator with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights in Philadelphia.
2018 - Patrick A. Berry, University of Pennsylvania Law School
Patrick Berry is a 3L at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Prior to law school, he received his B.A. in Legal Studies from the University of Central Florida, where he graduated summa cum laude. During his time at Penn Law, he has served as a law clerk at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and as a law clerk at Open Primaries. This semester, in conjunction with Penn Law’s Legislative Clinic, he is interning at the Brennan Center for Justice’s Democracy Program. He is also the Executive Editor of the Journal of Law & Public Affairs. After graduation, Patrick plans to dedicate his legal career to identifying and eliminating systemic barriers to voting in hopes of achieving a more just democracy—one in which all voices have the opportunity to be heard.