Carmela Yabut is a first-year student at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings). Carmela is a Bay Area native, and she attended school in San Francisco prior to attending U.C. Berkeley. Carmela graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a minor in History. While at U.C. Berkeley, she was awarded with the Fiat Lux Scholarship and served as the President of the Fiat Lux Scholars Association, which provided resources for the well-being, retention, and academic success of the Fiat Lux scholar community. Carmela also served as the External Vice Executive Chair of the Pilipinx American Alliance, in which she acted as liaison to the greater U.C. Berkeley community as well as to the Cal Pilipinx American Alumni Chapter. Finally, Carmela developed her interest in the legal field by serving as the Public Relations Committee Director for U.C. Berkeley’s Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity chapter, and as an External Officer for the Undergraduate Legal Honors Society.

After graduating from U.C. Berkeley, Carmela worked as a Legal Assistant and Paralegal in practice areas such as employment law, personal injury law, family law, and trust and probate law. Immediately before starting law school, she worked as a Paralegal at Candelaria LLP, where she supported both the family law and trust and probate law sections of the firm. Since beginning law school, Carmela has served as a 1L Representative of U.C. Law San Francisco’s Pilipinx American Law Society, where she has attended and helped organize events aimed at building partnerships with other cultural organizations. She has also participated in U.C. Law San Francisco’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Society, where she has developed my communication skills. Carmela’s work experience and engagement with diverse legal professional communities have motivated her to pursue a career as an attorney and help parties find a just resolution to their disputes.

About the Scholarship: With his family, Theodore Borromeo immigrated to the United States from the Philippines when he was seven years old. The Theodore Borromeo Scholarship signifies a commitment to supporting a law student, who like Mr. Borromeo, is mindful of the experiences of immigrants and immigrant families. This scholarship is awarded to a law student in pursuit of any practice perspective in employment and labor law, the area in which Mr. Borromeo dedicated his career for almost 40 years until his retirement in 2020.

Learn about past scholarship recipients here.