Congratulations To Our 2021 Scholarship Winners!

Our law firm was thrilled to see the talent, creativity and dedication among those who applied for our 2021 scholarship awards. We received many well-researched and thoughtful entries from high school, college and graduate students from throughout the country.

The attorneys of Mushkatel, Robbins & Becker, PLLC, had asked students to provide an essay of 600 words or less or a video of two minutes or less in which they responded to the following question:

“Discuss the issues that arise from the Electoral College, the popular vote, and political campaign financing — and suggest improvements for the presidential election system.”

We appreciate every entry that we received, and we would love to award a scholarship to every applicant. However, we had to choose only two winners. The funds which they receive will go towards their costs of pursuing a higher education.

We thank every student who submitted an essay or video and wish everyone the best as they move forward.

1st Place: Akhila Mullapudi

From: Farmington Hills, MI
Attending:  University of Michigan

Our contest winner is Akhila Mullapudi. Akhila is an incoming Freshman at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor studying political science and pre-law. She hopes to become an international attorney and work at the intersection of government, business, and human rights. In addition to school, she is a community organizer and activist for a plethora of issues and causes ranging from community health, gender equality, environmental justice, education reform, democracy reform, and immigrant and refugee rights to name a few. Her hobbies include reading classic literature, biking, and painting/studying art history. Her hope is to create a positive impact on my community, whether that be through the law, activism, or community empowerment.

Read her essay here

2nd Place: Nathaniel DeLaTorre

From: Chino Hills, CA
Attending: University of Southern California

Nathaniel De La Torre, a rising college student and aspiring filmmaker, currently resides at home surrounded by his family in the city of Chino Hills, California. With the pursuit of working in the film industry, Nathaniel is studying Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. Through the course of his college career, Nathaniel hopes to soak up enough information possible, being able to eventually produce films that combine his familial upbringing experiences and blockbuster-like interests.

Read his essay here.

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About the Author

Zachary Mushkatel discovered his affinity for the law by chance. As a political science major at the University of Arizona, he first aspired to become a professor. But an unexpected invitation to participate on a mock trial team at the university encouraged him to turn his competitive spirit and drive…