Inaugural Fiza Quraishi Youth Law Fellowship awarded

Recent University of Michigan Law School graduate Amanda Grill is headed to Oakland, Calif., to begin a yearlong position as the inaugural Fiza Quraishi Youth Law Fellow at the National Center for Youth and Law (NCYL).

NCYL, in existence for more than 40 years, works to improve the lives of disadvantaged children and youth. It is an organization that was near and dear to Fiza Quraishi, who came to NCYL as an Equal Justice Works Fellow after graduating from Michigan Law and spent her too-brief career there as a staff attorney.

Known for her passionate advocacy on behalf of disadvantaged children, Quraishi’s untimely passing inspired members of her 2007 graduating class and the NCYL leadership to create the Fellowship.

Grill is honored and excited to carry on Quraishi’s advocacy. “I came to Michigan ready to get the best public interest education and training for my career. The more I learned how our society’s laws and structural forces shape children’s lives, the more I was motivated to find innovative solutions to affect their future. What is most exciting about this Fellowship is NCYL’s comprehensive mission to both create collaboration between the institutions that serve youth and to hold those systems accountable.”

Grill will be investigating different avenues for impact litigation cases, researching strategies, and also working on policy advocacy and legislation reform projects. She hopes to come away from her Fellowship with a better grasp of the tools necessary to fight for the just treatment of youth. She also hopes to contribute to litigation and legislation that will help diminish some of the complex challenges children and youth face today.

“Although I never had the opportunity to meet her, Fiza’s advocacy has lived on,” said Grill. “Her passion and dedication are said to have been fiery, brilliant, and energetic. It is a tremendous honor to serve as a Fellow in her legacy.”