Next Gen Awards

Lawyers are Changemakers. California ChangeLawyers exists to harness the power of lawyers and to invest in the next generation of bright, diverse leaders.

California ChangeLawyers

A celebration of BIPOC lawyers + activists

Featuring California Attorney General Rob Bonta, in a fireside chat with ChangeLawyers Scholar Antonio Reza.Featuring San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen, in a fireside chat with ChangeLawyers Fellow Princess Manasseh.***Can you imagine a Supreme Court with 9 BIPOC justices?Next Gen Awards is a yearly fundraiser and celebration of the newest cohort of ChangeLawyers scholars. These students are first generation, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and others whose lived experiences and identities are significantly underrepresented in the halls of power.

On April 23, 2021, Rob Bonta was sworn in as the 34th Attorney General of the State of California, the first person of Filipino descent and the second Asian-American to occupy the position.Attorney General Bonta's passion for justice and fairness was instilled in him by his parents, who served on the frontlines of some of America's most important social justice movements. Instilling in him the lessons they learned from the United Farm Workers and the civil rights movement, Attorney General Bonta's parents lit a fire inside him to fight against injustice — to stand up for those who are taken advantage of or harmed. It's why he decided to become a lawyer — to help right historic wrongs and fight for people who have been harmed. He worked his way through college and graduated with honors from Yale University and attended Yale Law School.In the State Assembly, Attorney General Bonta enacted nation-leading reforms to inject more justice and fairness into government and institutions. As the People's Attorney, he sees seeking accountability from those who abuse their power and harm others as one of the most important functions of the job. In elected office, he has taken on powerful interests and advanced systemic change — pursuing corporate accountability, standing up for workers, punishing big polluters, and fighting racial injustice. He has been a national leader in the fight to transform the criminal justice system, banning private prisons and detention facilities in California, as well as pushing to eliminate cash bail in the state. He has led statewide fights for racial, economic, and environmental justice and worked to further the rights of immigrant families, renters, and working Californians.Prior to serving in the Assembly, Attorney General Bonta worked as a Deputy City Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco, where he represented the City and County and its employees, and fought to protect Californians from exploitation and racial profiling.Born in Quezon City, Philippines, Attorney General Bonta immigrated to California with his family as an infant. He is the son of a proud native Filipino mother and a father who taught him the value of public service to his community. He is married to Mia Bonta, and they are the proud parents of three children Reina, Iliana, and Andres, as well as their dog Legolas.

<h1>ChangeLawyers Alumni Award</h1>Hillary Ronen was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in November 2016, representing District 9 – the Mission, Bernal Heights, and Portola neighborhoods. Supervisor Ronen is a graduate of UC Berkeley School of Law. As an attorney, her practice focused on worker rights and immigration law at the San Francisco nonprofit law firm, La Raza Centro Legal. Her major accomplishments in 2019 were passing Mental Health SF, groundbreaking legislation to ensure universal access to coordinated mental health care and substance use treatment, and working with the community to get more than 1,300 units of affordable housing underway. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Supervisor Ronen has fought for city resources for the most under-served communities, including pushing the City to provide shelter for unhoused individuals in empty hotel rooms to protect our collective health, fighting for and securing funds for small businesses, partnering with UCSF to test the Mission district, and creating the Right to Recover program to ensure that anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 has the financial means to take care of their basic needs as they recover. She is also the only Spanish-speaking member on the Board of Supervisors.

Princess Manasseh is a journalist turned lawyer, and a ChangeLawyers Fellow at Al Otro Lado, a legal service organization at the US-Mexico border serving deportees, refugees, and separated families. As a descendent of the people who built this nation under the force of terrorism, serving populations experiencing human rights violations akin to what her ancestors survived is meaningful community activism Princess feels privileged to take part in. Her work at Al Otro Lado is focused on the Border Right’s Project by providing direct representation to detained asylum seekers. Princess attended California State University, Los Angeles on a tennis scholarship where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism. She holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law.

In 2012, Antonio Reza was released from jail newly convicted of the charge felony second-degree armed robbery and received a strike. Upon his release Antonio was determined to NOT become a statistic. Instead, he took advantage of his newfound freedom as a second opportunity and decided to turn his life around. In 2013, he enrolled at Ohlone College where he was involved with the basketball team, student government, peer elected vice president of a club, got inducted into the honor roll society Sigma Chi Eta, earned student of the year, and made dean’s list and honor roll every semester. When it came time to graduate Antonio had earned 3 Associate Degrees, multiple certificates, and maintained a 4.0 GPA.Antonio transferred to the University of San Francisco where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and minored in both Legal Studies and Sociology. During his time at USF he continued to make the dean’s list and honor roll every semester, volunteered at a halfway house, became president of a club, got inducted into 3 honor roll societies: Alpha Sigma Nu, Lambda Pi Eta, and Delta Alpha Pi. Has spoken on many panels and presented primary research on the criminal justice system. Upon graduation in 2018 he had earned EVERY award offered by his department and was valedictorian.Currently, Antonio is attending Santa Clara University School of Law. He is the first student president and an executive board member of the National Justice Impacted Bar Association and the Northern California Student Representative and an Executive board member of the California System Involved Bar Association. Has given a TEDx Talk titled From Felonies to 4.0s and became a bestselling author on Amazon. He received the ChangeLawyer scholarship, was awarded 1L of the year from Santa Clara University School of Law, and was inducted into USF’s 30 Under 30. He is a clinical law student for the Northern California Innocence Project where he helped work on legislation and free wrongfully convicted people. At SCU Law he served as the External VP of La Raza Law Student Association and the VP of External Affairs for the Student Bar Association. Lastly, he is a Panetta Fellow working at the Panetta Institute for Public Policy.

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