The Pittsburgh Legal Diversity & Inclusion Coalition (PLDIC) has created the Susan Yohe PLDIC Scholarship to honor Susan Yohe’s lifetime of service to championing and furthering diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Pittsburgh legal community. Yohe is one of the PLDIC’s founders and served as its Executive Director from its inception in 2017 until her retirement in July 2021. PLDIC member Duquesne Light Company has committed to funding the Coalition’s portion of the scholarship.
The initial scholarship award recipients will receive a $10,000 tuition scholarship per year. Ms. Tiffeny Ayoola, a 2021 graduate of Pennsylvania State University, is the recipient for the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University. When informed of her selection Ms. Ayoola stated, “I am thrilled and grateful to receive this award. As a first-generation student this scholarship will help to ease the financial burden of attending law school. The support of the PLDIC, Duquesne Law, and Duquesne Light will also help me to reach my career goal of improving diversity in the legal profession.” The University of Pittsburgh School of Law awarded the scholarship to Ms. Dominique Rodriguez, a graduate of the University of New Mexico. Dominique was also appreciative of the award, “I am beyond grateful and excited to be the recipient for the Susan Yohe PLDIC Scholarship. While this scholarship has lessened my financial burden to focus on law school, it has also motivated me to continue my engagement with DEI in the legal profession. As an underrepresented minority, this scholarship is a reminder of the ways that I can help serve and represent my communities in the legal profession.”
These recipients demonstrate a commitment to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession. In addition to the monetary award, this fall, the scholarship winners will also be invited to meet with the PLDIC Board of Directors, the PLDIC Executive Director, the Deans of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University, and leadership from Duquesne Light Company. The PLDIC will introduce each recipient to its 45+ PLDIC member organizations through the PLDIC newsletter, social media, website, and at its annual members meeting later this year.