Talia Scott JD/MBA ’25 has been awarded a 2023 David Prize, which annually recognizes five New York City changemakers and includes $200,000 in funding. Launched by the Walentas Family Foundation in 2020, the David Prize aims to support individuals who are working to realize “ideas for extraordinary change” to improve the city and its communities.
Scott, an Eric and Kimberly George Scholar within the AnBryce Program, will use her prize money to support Legally BLK Fund, the nonprofit organization that Scott founded to provide financial and application support, mentorship, and professional development opportunities to Black women applying to law school.
During her own law school application process, Scott says, she was struck by the costs involved—and by the underrepresentation of Black women in the legal profession. She drafted an Instagram post urging followers to donate to Black women applying to law school. Her fundraising goal was $5,000, but she raised over $17,000 in just a few days—establishing the first class of 10 Legally BLK Fund fellows and recipients. Since then, the organization has provided aspiring Black female attorneys with over $40,000 towards law school application and exam fees, LSAT preparation, scholarships, and more.
"Receiving the David Prize is a dream come true and I am so grateful that the Walentas family believed in my vision for investing in Black women who are aspiring attorneys,” says Scott. “I can now provide free in-house law school admissions consulting, LSAT tutoring, and more while working to increase my reach to expose Black high-school-aged girls in New York City to opportunities in the legal profession."
Posted on September 12, 2023