2008 Miami Scholars

Leonard Alsanian
As someone who never envisioned going to law school, Leonard Alsanian dedicated himself to his creative endeavors, which he cultivated through his studies at the Tisch School of the Arts in New York University’s film studies program.  Eager to apply himself more directly to the delivery of services and advocacy, Leonard decided to take a grassroots approach and participate actively within the community. His involvement with EndOil.org, which supports start-up environmental non-profit groups focusing on renewable energies, to Bridge for Africa, which promoted self-sufficiency and dignity of work in rural Africa, helped him to tap into his dream of helping others. Despite demanding work in the film industry, he served as a volunteer at a non-profit organization, the Harriet Buhai Center for Family Law, which works with low-income women and victims of domestic violence to navigate the legal process, dealing with absentee respondents, securing restraining orders and requesting child support.

Erin Boatman
Erin Boatman has consistently dedicated herself to projects that bring her closer to the community. As part of an outreach group, Sojourners for Peace, she was able to travel to an immigrant detention center in New Jersey to make weekly visits with detainees. She also has worked in the Housing and Domestic Violence Departments at Harlem Legal Services, managing case-intake, with a focus on  Spanish-speaking clients.  Erin’s human rights advocacy experience also includes work with the International Center for Transitional Justice. Through her work at the Center of Political Analysis and Economic Research, Erin traveled to indigenous villages in Mexico to research the political and economic structures which govern autonomous communities. In addition, she worked at the School for International Training as an advisor to college students, facilitating discourse between activists and scholars and documenting human rights abuses for international organizations.

Dale Dobuler
Since the age of 20, Dale Dobuler has been immersed in the field of improving the lives of others.  Dale found his niche working on behalf of the juvenile justice system and dedicated himself to helping troubled youth who lacked direction. As a goals-oriented manager, he was quickly hailed as a trouble- shooter for the agency and was promoted to Executive Director of a non-profit program for delinquent youth.  He currently serves as the Superintendent of the Miami-Dade Regional Juvenile Detention Center.  Dale’s extensive background has allowed him to connect to the community in a unique way the lives of countless youth and families have been impacted by his commitment and conscientious work.  

Rebecca Evans
A background in policy analysis and management from The Brookings Institution has prepared Rebecca Evans for her future, but her experiences living in Spain, and working on elections and policy implementation here in the US have been instrumental in fueling her passion for change. Granted a unique view into the inner workings of the US democratic process through her work with US Representative John Locke and Senator John Kerry’s 2004 Campaign for President, Rebecca tried to proactively approach legislation which directly affects countless members of the community.  She also worked with the National Conference for Community and Justice which is dedicated to promoting the ideal of inclusion, espousing the notion that people not only need to recognize, but embrace differences so as to truly build a just society.  She hopes to use her law degree to continue breaking through barriers dividing people and excluding groups from attaining equality.

David Finkelstein
As a Foreign Language Service employee, David served as a legal document translator and in-court interpreter for Superior and District Courts in Arizona in the Hebrew and Arabic languages.  As a student overseas in Cairo, David has worked to bridge the gaps between his classmates in the hopes of finding common ground between the Arabs and Israelis, two bitterly divided groups, acting as a mediator in highly charged discussions.  David is inspired to be a part of helping the marginalized and disadvantaged. He believes the co-existence of all Israelis and Palestinians to be a fundamental in our society and David hopes to facilitate change through reasonable discussion and critical analysis.  A legal education is the next step in David’s work as a change agent in society.

Betsy Havens
Armed with a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina’s School of Public Health, and experience as a Clinic Administrator, Betsy Havens hopes to use her education in law to spearhead a campaign to reform healthcare in the United States. Through her work in the healthcare field, Betsy is faced with countless impoverished individuals who lack health insurance and need care, going undiagnosed with treatable medical conditions.  Through the law, she now hopes to bring an end to such oversights and neglect.  Betsy looks forward to policy changes and  revolutionary reforms in healthcare and is resolved to fight for change.  In her eyes, basic healthcare is an intrinsic part of social justice and she plans to make it a reality using law school education to bring change to individuals and public and private institutions. 

Jeffery Hegewald
As a tenth-grade teacher through Teach for America Rio, Jeffery Hegewald learned about the value of a positive student-teacher relationship. Through field trips, out-of-classroom support and other school-sponsored events, Jeffery was able to demonstrate the relevance of the material he was teaching and convey to his students the genuine interest he had in each of them.  Serving a population in which 95% of the students were economically disadvantaged, where 25% of the girls were already mothers and the average reading level was close to that of a third grader, Jeffery was forced to play the role of administrator, disciplinarian and big brother. His time in the community, which amounted to more than 5,000 hours, serves as a guiding force to Jeffery as he approaches the study of law.

Margaret Jordan
Whether tutoring kindergarteners in Dayton, summiting glaciers in Alaska, writing development grants in Guatemala, strengthening volunteer programs in Tucson or interviewing women in Chile, Margaret Jordan has developed a profound dedication to service. As a Peace Corps member in Guatemala, she was able to investigate ecotourism and faced the challenge of working in the rural villages where language, culture and gender barriers existed.  Margaret’s work in Chile included field research with women dedicated to improving their lives.  She looks forward to promoting access to justice through the law.