Marc Whitehead & Associates has announced the recipients of its 2025 Frances & Earl Perry Memorial Veterans Scholarship and Flora Marie Jenkins Memorial Disability Scholarship, each valued at $5,000. The awards recognize high-achieving students pursuing college degrees while addressing critical societal needs through their career aspirations.
The Frances & Earl Perry Memorial Veterans Scholarship has been awarded to Mah-Kayla Joseph, a pre-law student at Louisiana State University. In her scholarship essay, Joseph detailed how her experiences in a military family drove her to understand the importance of strong community support. She aims to translate this understanding into a legal career focused on serving underserved communities, with plans to offer pro bono services to those most in need.
The Flora Marie Jenkins Memorial Disability Scholarship recipient is Ava Deakin, a University of Southern California student pursuing degrees in Political Science (Pre-Law Track) and Themed Entertainment. Deakin's PNPLA6 Ataxia diagnosis, which affects her motor control, has fueled her passion for disability advocacy. Her personal experiences challenging anti-disability architecture and mindsets have transformed her community and connected her with activists working to expand disability outreach.
Both scholarships represent Marc Whitehead & Associates' commitment to supporting education for individuals facing systemic barriers. The firm, a National Disability Law Firm, specializes in advocating for clients before the Social Security Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and private insurance companies. Their work focuses on preparing strong applications, building compelling disability cases, maximizing benefit opportunities, and navigating appeals processes when claims are denied.
These scholarships matter because they address two critical gaps in legal representation and community support. Military families often face unique challenges navigating benefits systems, while disability advocates work to dismantle physical and social barriers that limit access to education and services. By supporting pre-law students from these backgrounds, the scholarships help cultivate future legal professionals who understand these systemic issues firsthand.
The impact extends beyond individual recipients to the communities they will serve. Joseph's focus on military families and Deakin's disability advocacy work represent exactly the kind of community-oriented legal practice needed to address persistent gaps in service access. Their $5,000 awards will help them prioritize studies and career goals without the financial pressures that often deter students from public interest law careers.
Prospective applicants for the 2026 scholarships can find more information on terms and conditions at https://www.marcwhitehead.com/scholarship. The continued investment in these scholarship programs demonstrates how legal firms can contribute to systemic change by supporting the next generation of advocates who will work within and beyond traditional legal frameworks to serve marginalized communities.
