The Extracurricular Impact Scholarship Winners
The Extracurricular Impact Scholarship was created by attorney Peter Odom as a community engagement program. Extracurricular activities are a great way for students to learn outside of the traditional classroom setting, and the lessons learned through these activities can be translated into the classroom and in life. Our team is honored to assist students in the pursuit of their higher education through this financial award.
Visit our scholarship page for information on the 2023 scholarship.
2022 Winner: Zach Torres
About Zach:
Zach Torres is a 2L law student at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Zach is originally from Miami, Florida, and hopes to return and practice law in Miami one day. Coming from a Cuban family, he is the first member of his family to leave home to attend college and the first to attend law school. He currently works as a Research Assistant and holds several leadership positions on campus with the Latino Law Students Association, Intellectual Property and Technology Law Association, and Federal Bar Association. He also serves as an Articles Editor for the Florida Law Review. Zach has already received his bachelor’s degree in Economics from UF and hopes to pursue an L.L.M. in Taxation following his law school graduation.
Reaction Statement:
I am honored and grateful to receive this award. As I’ve been told by mentors and family, “It’s better to be well-rounded and happy than live any other way.” This is true to this day. Our hobbies may not define us or the work we produce, but they shape who we are and who we still hope to become. Again, I am honored to receive this award and excited to see how it will help me continue pursuing higher education in law.
2021 Winner: Ishita Patel
About Ishita:
Ishita Patel, from suburban Chicago, is currently a first-year pre-medical student studying Neuroscience, with minors in Spanish, Public Health, and Chemistry at Case Western Reserve University. She is involved with the Undergraduate Research Society, and Case Cobraas. She is also a Research Assistant at the Wu Laboratory under the first “Urogenetics” Program in the nation. She wishes to continue to address healthcare inequalities and healthcare hesitance in metropolitan areas while pursuing her medical degree.
Reaction Statement:
I am honored to have been selected as the recipient of the 2022 Peter Odom Attorney at Law The Extracurricular Impact Scholarship. As a student on the pre-medical track, there are years of education ahead of me. At Case Western Reserve University, my goal is to major in neuroscience with a public health and chemistry minor. Due to this generous award, I will be able to reduce my work schedule to focus more on my academics, research, and giving back to the community of the greater Cleveland area.
2020 Winner: Anthony LoGrande
Anthony E. LoGrande is an actor and creator from Fords, New Jersey who is graduating from Wagner College with his B.A. in theatre performance, writing, and a certification to practice as a pharmacy technician (CPhT) in May of 2021. While his goal is to be a stage and film actor, after being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia (FMS) in 2020 after a two year health battle, he decided to dedicate some time to creating The Kolaphos Project.
Kolaphos, which is aimed to launch by the end of 2021, is a company that writes creative speech, film, and theatre to vouch for people with diseases, disabilities, and disorders who feel as if their voice is unheard in the healthcare setting. Anthony’s long-term goal with Kolaphos is to change legislation and policy at the federal level to advocate for people with invisible illness who need accommodation, and to incentivize Congress to provide funding for medical communities to do more research into orphan and idiopathic disease. But while Anthony is creating the foundation of Kolaphos over the next year, he will be auditioning for acting gigs during the day and working as a pharmacy tech in the inpatient setting at night. Sometime within the next few years, Anthony would like to study his Masters in Arts Politics and Medical Ethics. Outside of theatre and advocacy, Anthony loves to rollerblade and everything seventies!
“I am so grateful to be given the opportunity to further my education after college. These funds will help me to start my post-collegiate acting career by studying at some of the studios that I have wanted to study at, but would not be able to afford without the help of Attorney Peter Odom and everybody at his office,” says Anthony. Congratulations, Anthony!
2019 Winner: Caleb Jennings
Caleb Jennings is from Shawnee, Kansas. He enjoys living on the outskirts of downtown Kansas City, where Caleb, his parents, and four siblings indulge in all things Kansas, including art and history museums, the renowned symphony, and the best barbeque in the country. Currently, Caleb volunteers for an organization called TeenPact Leadership Schools, a ministry that seeks to raise up leaders.
In Fall of 2020, he will enter Kansas University as a Junior. Caleb works as a barista at a local coffee shop, where he loves to converse with customers, explore the science behind coffee, bake pastries, and practice for latte art competitions. When not at work, he loves hanging out with his friends, which generally involves lots of delicious food and coffee. Additionally, he enjoys playing volleyball and practicing piano. Caleb is passionate about fighting against human slavery and helping families throught the adoption process. He employs this passion by volunteering for an anti-human trafficking non-profit, and hopes to continue his involvement in this area as an international family attorney.