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About Our Scholars

The Irene Merker Rosenberg Scholarship Program

Irene Merker Rosenberg Scholars are named in honor of the late Professor Rosenberg who taught at the University of Houston Law Center for 35 years. Professor Rosenberg was a leader in the field of juvenile and children's rights. Scholars are selected on the basis of their demonstrated commitment to pursuing a career representing children's interests, prior experience in related areas, and academic achievement.

Scholar Bios

	SHILOH CARTER J.D. Candidate, May 2013 B.S., University of Texas Shiloh Carter is a third year student at the University of Houston Law Center. She received a B.S. from the University of Texas in Communications Sciences and Disorders. During college, she worked for a clinic that specialized in speech and occupational therapy for children with special needs. Prior to law school, she worked at Baker Botts LLP as a paralegal clerk and volunteered as a troop leader for their sponsored inner city Girl Scout troop. Shiloh is interested in juvenile law issues and currently volunteers as a guardian ad litem for Child Advocates. She also interns for Kids in Need of a Defense.
	ALEX HUNT J.D. Candidate, May 2013 B.A., University of Texas Alex Hunt is a third year student at the University of Houston Law Center. He graduated from the University of Texas in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in government. Before entering law school, Alex taught middle school math at YES Prep Southwest in Houston and was a corps member with Teach For America. He also has experience as a judicial intern for both state and federal judges. Alex is Casenotes & Comments Editor for the Houston Journal of International Law and has served as External Vice President of the Health Law Organization. His comment "Inbound Medical Tourism and Visa Reform: How Increasing Accessibility for Foreign Patients Can Decrease American Healthcare Costs" won the 2012 Mont P. Hoyt Memorial Writing Award for an Outstanding Comment on a Topic in International Law and will be published in Volume 35 of the Houston Journal of International Law.
	CARA HENLEY JOHNSON J.D. Candidate, May 2013 M.P.A., University of Washington B.A., University of Washington Cara Henley Johnson is a third year student at the University of Houston Law Center. She serves as the Law Student Division liaison to the national ABA Section of Dispute Resolution. Before law school, Cara worked and volunteered for 5 years at domestic violence agencies, an emergency foster youth shelter, and other non-profit and government organizations. Cara currently works part-time at the Harris County Public Defender's Office in the Juvenile Division. This summer she worked at Bay Area Legal Aid helping survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault on their restraining order, family law, and immigration cases. Last summer she worked at Disability Rights Texas with an attorney ad litem for disabled foster youth who also have juvenile justice involvement. Cara is interested in a career as a juvenile public defender and as well as continuing her private mediation practice.
	ASHLEY PIERCE J.D. Candidate, May 2014 B.A., Houston Baptist University Ashley Pierce is a second year student at the University of Houston Law Center. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Houston Baptist University in 2010. While she was in college, she worked with a non-profit organization called Ambassadors for Christ that partnered at-risk youth with college students to serve as positive influences. Ashley has always been passionate about helping children, specifically concerning the way children are treated in the judicial system. She is primarily interested in juvenile delinquency issues.
	LISA STEFFEK J.D. Candidate, May 2014 Ph.D., M.A., B.S., University of Texas Lisa Steffek is a second year student at the University of Houston Law Center. Lisa completed her Bachelors, Masters and Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Texas in Human Development and Family Sciences. As an undergraduate, Lisa worked as a research assistant studying child attachment. Lisa also worked for several years at The Settlement Home, a residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed adolescent females. Most of the girls at The Settlement Home had been removed from their homes by Child Protective Services, and Lisa worked with the girls to teach them life-skills and provided psychological treatment to prepare them for adulthood and the transition to foster homes. Lisa also worked for six years in various academic capacities at the University of Texas, including an undergraduate teaching assistant, graduate research assistant, and undergraduate writing consultant. Lisa has presented papers regarding human development at various academic conferences in the states and abroad, and has had her writing published in an international, academic journal.
	ALLISON ARTERBERRY J.D. Candidate, May 2014 B.A., Texas A&M University Allison Arterberry is a second year law student at the University of Houston Law Center. She graduated from Texas A&M University in 2011 with a B.A. in Political Science and Spanish. She spent part of her summer interning at the Montgomery County District Attorney’s office at Safe Harbor, the crimes against children unit. Currently, she is the Secretary for the Aggie Law Society as well as a member of the Career Development Student Advisory Board. Allison is most interested in child victim’s rights in the criminal system.