PIA Fellows

PIA Fellows

 

Here are the 2023 PIA Summer Fellows!

 


Sprouse Fellow:

Racheal Levengood, Monongalia County Public Defender

 

PIA fellows:

Legal Aid of West Virginia

Kenny May, Martinsburg

Angelo Fioravante, Morgantown

Colton Menear, Clarksburg

Hannah Courtney, Charleston

Sydney McGinnis, Charleston

Childlaw

Aly Fleenor, Charleston

Shannon Hahn, Morgantown

Senior Legal Aid

Maxwell Stewart

ACLU of WV

Madison (MJ) Crane

Disability Rights of WV

Nathan Price, Charleston

MacKenzie Hill, Charleston

Mountain State Justice

Aryanna Islam, Morgantown

Dalton Ervin, Morgantown

Catholic Legal Charities

Ocklawaha Holt

 

Public Interest Supplemental fellows:

Clarence Moore, LA County Public Defender’s Office, CA

Travis Sapp, Public Defender’s Office, SC

Katie McClung, Preston County Public Defender’s Office, WV

Heather Keats, Legal Aid, VA

Madison Cannon, Community Legal Aid, OH

PIA Post Graduate Fellowship

Please join me in congratulating Rayann Yocum. Rayann is a recent graduate of West Virginia University College of law. She graduated with a public interest concentration and finished in the top 20% of her class. Rayann was PIA Fellow in the summer of 2021 where she was a Sprouse Fellow working for the Harrison County Public Defender’s Office. Previously, she worked for the Wood County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office through the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation’s Civic Leadership Fellowship program. Rayann is also worked as a graduate assistant with WVU’s Student Legal Services where she helped provide legal services to eligible undergraduate students. She worked there throughout her 2L and 3L years. Rayann was an active member of PIA and served as Treasurer on WVU Law’s Lugar Trial Association. Rayann came to WVU Law as a 2019 graduate from Marshall University with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Communication Studies. She is using the Post-Graduate Fellowship with a Kanawha County Public Defender’s Office and will be sworn-in in October. Rayann is passionate about public defense and looks forward to a long career serving those who are underrepresented in the criminal justice system in West Virginia.

 

  • Kayla Aungst,2021
  • Laura Davidson,2020
  • Tiffany Kent,2020
  • Maddie Mortiz,2019
  • Zach Gray,2018
  • Courtney Crowder,2017
  • Katherine Marcum,2017
  • Micki Biggs,2016
  • Patrick Holbrook,2016
  • Susan Waldie,2016
  • Stephanie Welsh,2015
  • Omolola Oluyemi,2014
  • Paul Robinson,2014
  • Michael Nissim-Sabat,2013
  • Jake Polverini, 2012
  • Joe Kinser, 2011
  • Amy Dawson, 2010
  • Jaci Gonzalez, 2010
  • Vanessa Wilson, 2009
  • Steve Conifer, 2008

Sprouse Public Defender Fellowship

The Sprouse Public Defender Fellowship is particularly competitive and students apply in the fall to be awarded this opportunity. One student who is awarded the Sprouse fellowship will work with a state public defender and the other with a federal public defender.

Charon Fellowship

The Charon Fellowship is a specially funded and recognized PIA fellowship that has been created in honor of the late Regina Charon, Esq. This fellowship, established by Regina’s husband Nyles, honors Regina’s legacy as a legal services attorney. This fellowship will be awarded annually to a rising third year student who embodies the spirit of public interest law, with a focus on service to Legal Aid.

Here are the past recipients of the Charon Fellowship:

  • Lisa Hartline, Summer 2016
  • Diandra Bosch, Summer 2017
  • Mikayla Bonner, Summer 2018
  • Sarah Petitto, Summer 2019
  • Jenny Cochran, Summer 2020
  • Zoey Vilasuso, Summer 2021
  • Olivia Lee, Summer 2022
  • Kenny May, Summer 2023