WEST PUBLISHING GROUP AND NFPA SELECT 1998 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
Deborah C. Sanchez and Judith A. Bonsignore have been designated by West Publishing Group (West) and the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, Inc. (NFPA) to receive annual scholarships funded by West.
The criteria included scholastic excellence, participation in extracurricular activities, community service, and an essay on "Cyberspace: The Internet's Impact on the Paralegal Profession." The final selection was made by a committee of West and NFPA representatives, and the winner's essay will be published in NFPA's National Paralegal Reporter.
Sanchez expects to graduate in October 1998 from the program at St. Mary's College in Moraga, California, where she is a 4.0 honors student and student representative to the program's student/faculty committee. Her background includes 16 years' experience in community awareness and crime prevention. She holds an associate's degree from Chabot College and is a student member of the San Francisco Paralegal Association.
In his letter of recommendation, St. Mary's instructor Michael Tonsing rated Sanchez in the top 1% of all St. Mary's students he has taught over the last two decades. "More than once, I photocopied her work and used it as a model for what I wanted the rest of the class to produce. This generated neither hostility nor resentment, given Deborah's grace and obvious humility," wrote Tonsing. Sanchez will receive a $3500 award from West.
Bonsignore lives in Lauderdale, Minnesota, where as president of her homeowners' association she initiated, promoted and supervised a half-million dollar renovation project. She holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Webster College in St. Louis, Missouri, and has maintained a 4.0 average in her classes at Hamline University in St. Paul while working part-time.
Bonsignore was selected as a $500 scholarship winner by the Minnesota Paralegal Association, of which she is a student member, for her ethics essay that will be published in MPA's Forum. She will receive a $1500 award from West.
A West representative recognized these outstanding students at NFPA's spring convention in Anchorage, Alaska, in April 1998.
Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, West Publishing Group is a respected publisher in the legal field, supplying both print and electronic references volumes to the legal community.
Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, NFPA is a non-profit professional organization representing more than 17,000 paralegals in the United States and Canada. NFPA is the national voice of paralegals and the standard for excellence for the paralegal profession through its work on the issues of regulation, ethics and education.
