Daniele Mempin Meñez hails from Bulacan, Philippines and Tamuning, Guam. At 18, she stepped foot on continental America for the first time to pursue higher education in Seattle. As Political Chair of the Filipino American Student Association (FASA), she founded Political Corner, a biweekly dialogue space to engage students’ political & cultural awareness and action. She then served as Director of the Pacific Islander Student Commission, where she helped lead a campaign in the Student Senate to secure protected seats for Pacific Islander student organizations, including  FASA, through a campus-wide ballot measure. At the end of her junior year, Daniele was elected Student Body President, the first Filipino in history to serve in the role. She led student government’s $1.2m nonprofit organization, managing over 65 employees, 23 entities & programs,  and 600 volunteers. She advocated on behalf of over 45,000 students, advising university administration and lobbying in the state legislature on critical issues such as race & equity, tuition affordability, and campus accessibility.

After graduating from university, Daniele joined Tock & Corl’s founding team, redesigning the firm’s digital framework and working with the Principals and Chief Financial Specialist to improve the enterprise’s knowledge management system. Currently, she is a rising 2L at the  University of Pennsylvania, serving as 1L Representative in the First Generation Professionals and International Law Society student groups, as well as doing pro bono with the International Human  Rights Advocacy Group. As a proud daughter of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), Daniele is passionate about the rights of Filipino migrant workers, addressing widespread corruption in government, and creating meaningful impact at the intersections of law and policy. She loves Asian cinema, Hot Cheetos, and poetry.

About the Scholarship: This scholarship commemorates Carlos P. Romulo, a legendary newspaper editor, army general, university president, Philippines ambassador, foreign minister, national artist, and president of the United Nations General Assembly. It is awarded to a law student who has a demonstrated commitment to studying about or practicing law in the fields of International Law, Free Speech, or Human Rights.

Learn about past scholarship recipients here.