Deborah Baer McKinney, RP
NFPA Education Coordinator
educqueries@paralegals.org
WEST GROUP AND NFPA SELECT 2002 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
Winners of the annual scholarships funded by West Group have been announced. The National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) and West Group are pleased to name Amjed B. Qamar of Dublin, Ohio, as winner of the $3,500 scholarship, and Christina A. Pratt of Marlborough, Mass., as winner of the $1,500 scholarship.
Qamar is a member of the Paralegal Association of Central Ohio and is enrolled in the post-baccalaureate certificate program of the Capitol University Law School in Columbus, Ohio, directed by Mary Ming. Qamar sits on the program's advisory board as a representative of her class. She holds dual bachelor's degrees in English and psychology from Ohio State University.
Pratt is a member of the Central Massachusetts Paralegal Association and a part-time evening student in the paralegal studies program at Anna Maria College in Paxton, Mass., directed by Janet Fisher. In addition to working toward her bachelor's degree in paralegal studies, she is a full-time real estate and environmental law paralegal at the Worcester, Mass., office of Bowditch & Dewey, LLP, an active community volunteer, and a member of the board of directors of Worcester Comprehensive Child Care Services.
Each applicant wrote an essay on the topic "Paralegal Education: The Changes in the Last Twenty Years and Recommendations for the Future." The winners' essays will be published in the June/July issue of the National Paralegal Reporter. West Group underwrote the expenses of the two winners to attend the NFPA Spring Convention in Indianapolis, and presented each with a plaque.
Letters of recommendation for each of the winners cited their determination to succeed, their leadership, and the value each places on education.
Headquartered in Eagan, Minn., West Group is the foremost provider of integrated information solutions to the U.S. legal market. West Group is a division of The Thomson Corporation (TSE: TOC) and was formed when West Publishing and Thomson Legal Publishing merged in June 1996. For more information, please visit West Group's Web site at www.westgroup.com.
Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, NFPA is a non-profit professional organization representing more than 15,000 paralegals in the United States and Canada. NFPA is the national voice and the Standard for Excellence for the paralegal profession through its work on the issues of regulation, ethics and education.
