Sonoma County Women in Law Honorable Gayle Guynup Scholarship
“The purpose of the Sonoma County Women in Law (“SCWiL”) Honorable Gayle Guynup scholarship is to assist a deserving law student with an interest in promoting women’s access to, and involvement in, the legal system by providing financial support to help defray the cost of completing his or her legal education. The scholarship is open to applicants regardless of gender, and persons of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Applicants must have some tie to Sonoma County and preferably — although this is not a requirement — plan to practice in the area after graduating and passing the bar.”
Sonoma County Women In Law Community Advocacy Scholarship
Sonoma County Women in Law (“SCWiL”) is awarding, with the help of a grant from the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, one Community Advocacy Scholarship (the “Scholarship”), in an amount of no less than $2,500 and up to $4,000, subject to future contributions by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. The purpose of this SCWiL Scholarship is to assist a deserving law student who has demonstrated involvement in and dedication to serving the community by providing financial support to defray the cost of their legal education. This Scholarship is open to all applicants regardless of gender.
Congratulations
Sonoma County Women in Law is proud to introduce you to our annual scholarship recipients. In October, Francesca Borin was awarded the $2500 Honorable Gayle Guynup Scholarship which is largely funded through contributions from the local bar. You can donate directly from our website, sonomacountywomeninlaw.com/donate.html. Earlier this year, Daniel Snell was awarded the $3500 Community Advocacy Scholarship through the generous grants sponsored by several of our Sonoma County Supervisors.
Ms. Borin holds a B.A. in Theology from Georgetown University and a M.S. in Bilingual Education from City University of New York, City College. Ms. Borin was born in San Francisco and raised in Sonoma County. While working as a tutor in Spain after graduating from college, she was impressed by the Spanish educational system, in which children learned three or more languages simultaneously. Upon returning to the U.S., she was accepted into the New York City Teaching Fellows. She moved to New York City and taught full-time while pursuing a master’s degree in Bilingual Education. Ms. Borin enjoyed a 16-year teaching career in New York, NY; Ashburnham, MA; and Philadelphia, PA before moving back home to Sonoma County in 2019. During her years in the classroom, her passions were Spanish language immersion, elementary math, and social-emotional learning. Ms. Borin stayed home with her children during Covid and never went back into the classroom, deciding instead to pursue a lifelong dream and enroll at Empire Law School.
Ms. Borin loved her 1L and 2L classes while simultaneously wondering where her niche would be. That question was answered when she took a clerkship at VIDAS Legal Services, which provides competent and compassionate legal immigration advocacy at no or low cost to clients. Immigration law combines Ms. Borin’s loves: first and foremost, helping people. Francesca’s other loves include the Spanish language, the cultures of the diverse countries of the world, the intersection with other areas of law, and advocacy for members of persecuted groups. At VIDAS, she is lucky to learn from the smartest, most efficient, and most patient people: clients, judges’ clerks, paralegals, OLAP accredited representatives, lawyers, and receptionists. The work inspires her in a way she has never experienced before, and she feels that she has found her calling. Ms. Borin is honored to accept the Board of Sonoma County Women in Law Hon. Gayle Guynup Scholarship, and dedicates her scholarship to Steve, Josie, Charles, Aldo, and Lois, without whom none of this would be possible.
Mr. Snell, a Sonoma County native, is a single father attending law school and working as a Certified Law Clerk at the Sonoma County Public Defender’s Office.
Mr. Snell has overcome many adversities but is determined to establish a career as an attorney. Early in life, Daniel struggled with substance abuse which eventually led him to incarceration. During his time in jail and prison, Daniel took responsibility for his problems and vowed to make a change. In 2012, he sought help with his substance use and was granted a second chance by the Sonoma County Court. Since then, Daniel has dedicated himself to helping others who struggle in similar ways.
Mr. Snell started his educational journey at the Santa Rosa Junior College where he was involved in the Second Chance Program which is designed to help formerly incarcerated students obtain higher education. Despite the fact that he had not attended school since his sophomore year of high school in 1997, he graduated from the Santa Rosa Junior College with an associate degree in Political Science and Social Behavioral Science with Highest Honors.
During his two plus years of employment at the Sonoma County Public Defender’s Office, Ms. Snell has taken the lead on the expungement program. He works to help formerly incarcerated people obtain post-conviction relief by helping to reduce their felonies to misdemeanors, obtaining dismissals, and sealing arrest records. He has assisted Sonoma County residents obtain dismissals in hundreds of cases which has given them better opportunities for employment and housing. Mr. Snell believes that helping people obtain this type of relief reduces recidivism rates and ultimately benefits the community as a whole.
Mr. Snell is currently in his last year of law school and intends to take the California State Bar Exam in July of 2024. He feels that his background lends itself to criminal law practice and hopes that his unique life experience will help him to provide a holistic representation to his future clients. His short-term goal is to become an attorney at the Sonoma County Public Defender’s Office so that he can continue to give back to the underserved in his community; his long-term goal is to become an Appellate Court Judge. His dream is to argue cases on behalf of indigent clients before the United States Supreme Court.
Mr. Snell’s life and work demonstrates that people who have been involved in the criminal justice system or have struggled with substance abuse can recover their lives and become productive members of our community.
