O’Melveny awards $20,000 to 31 high school students

O'Melveny & Myers LLP and the Warren Christopher Scholarship Program honored 31 high school students at Walt Disney Concert Hall, awarding them $20,000 college scholarships and extra support to overcome pandemic-related hardships.

"We're proud to provide crucial emergency support to our scholars -- helping them find meaningful work, overcome financial challenges raised by remote learning, and address pressing housing and health care issues," O'Melveny partner and Warren Christopher Scholarship Committee Chair Matt Kline said during the ceremony Wednesday.

Fifteen of the Los Angeles Unified School District students are from the 2020 Scholarship Class and 16 are from the 2021 Scholarship Class.

All the students have been affected by the pandemic in some way. Three lost a parent to COVID-19, according to O'Melveny. Kimberly Espinosa's father, Gil, died of COVID-19 related complications after spending 29 days in the intensive care unit. As Kimberly, 17, and her family grieved, O'Melveny and the scholarship program helped them avoid eviction from their Koreatown apartment, according to a press statement.

"They helped with three months of rent," Kimberly Espinosa said.

"I'm so thankful. We don't have to worry about losing our home on top of losing my dad."

O'Melveny established the Warren Christopher Scholarship program in 1992 to honor the late O'Melveny chair and former U.S. secretary of state. Scholars were selected from among 240 nominees whose schools recognized their academic potential, community service and financial need.

Over the program's two-plus decades, every scholar has graduated from high school, and over 90% have gone on to earn college degrees, according to the firm.