What is the name of the scholarship you received?
USC's Physically Challenged Athletes Scholarship. The scholarship, in its
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| 1L Don Hammond |
How were you selected for the scholarship?
I applied to the program after reading about an undergraduate recipient with whom I share a mutual friend. It looked like a great opportunity to gain something positive from a life-threatening motorcycle accident in which I was involved in June 2002. The application process consisted of an extensive written application, personal statement, and interview.
I was selected for this scholarship because I was a dedicated athlete throughout high school and beyond, participating in four years of varsity wrestling, two years of football (I also coached two years of Pop Warner Football), and track and cross-country at Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, CA. After high school, I remained active, working out regularly and holding a variety of labor-intensive jobs. At the time of the accident, I was working for UPS, loading trucks in the early morning hours, and as a server for a catering company on weekends. On June 22, 2002, while I was on the way home from a catering job in Costa Mesa, my motorcycle slid out in a curve, causing several severe injuries including a broken pelvis and nerve damage in left leg. Today, I still have persistent nerve damage that prevents me from moving my left foot. I am encouraged that it takes people longer and longer to perceive a limp when I walk. In fact, in nearly four weeks at USC Law, only two fellow students have asked me about it. Since my injuries limited my ability to pursue physically active work in the future, the accident strengthened my resolve to return to college and finish my bachelor's degree and then continue to law school.
What are your future career plans?
I am not sure what field of law I want to practice, but my current interests are constitutional and criminal law.
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