Lauren Tankeh is a first-year law student at the University of California Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings). She is an alumnus of Teach for America and holds a Master's in Education Policy.

In law school, she serves as the Vice President of the Pilipinx American Law Society and Partnerships Chair for the Law Empowerment and Access Project. Her extracurricular experiences include pro bono work with the Learning Rights Law Center, where she supports education-related litigation and advocacy, and an externship with the Alameda County Office of Education, focused on legislative advocacy.

Previously, Lauren has worked in education policy advocacy at Jobs for the Future, helped reform NASA’s afterschool programs, and published a peer-reviewed academic article on the wave of anti-Asian hate crimes during COVID-19. Across her academic and professional journey, she has focused on advancing equity in public education systems and expanding access to legal protections to underserved communities.

About the Scholarship: The Honorable Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye Scholarship commemorates Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye’s tenure as the first Filipina American to serve as the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court (from 2011 to 2023). The scholarship is awarded to a law student that has shown a strong commitment to the Filipino American community inside and outside of law school.

Learn about past scholarship recipients here.