The AnBryce Scholarship at NYU School of Law awarded its 100th $175,000 scholarship this year to a current law student at the university.

Chair of NYU Law’s Board of Trustees Anthony Welters J.D. ‘77 and his wife, Beatrice, created the scholarship in 1998. The scholarship program provides full-tuition funding to NYU’s Law School, as well as professional mentoring and networking to first-generation graduate and professional degree students.

Damaris Hernandez, an alumna of the program, is the first in her family to go to college and the first Latina partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore. She described how the scholarship provided academic support in her law career.

“While I was growing up, I could have never imagined what that looked like or, more importantly, that it could be me,” Hernandez said. “It afforded opportunities — both personal and professional — that allowed me to succeed, by removing some of the pressures and distractions that affect people like me who are first in their family to do this and by providing the support that we sometimes lack.”

Hernandez credits the program’s mentoring for guiding her professional and personal growth throughout law school.

“The AnBryce Program made me believe that I had choices, provided opportunities and gave me a network that I could turn to when I felt lost,” Hernandez said. “We did not read the NYT or WSJ around our kitchen table so I was not familiar with securities and complex civil litigation. The program bridged that gap.”

Hernandez cited the sholarship and community support as major contributors to her success.

“Once I became an AnBrycer, it seemed like there was never a problem I had to solve on my own — which was very different from how I grew up,” Hernandez said. “Although I was admitted to NYU, the AnBryce full-tuition scholarship made attending law school possible.”

Michael Orey, Public Affairs Officer at NYU Law, said the attention scholars receive in the program is a characteristic that makes the program unique.

“What makes the AnBryce distinctive is what we call its programmatic components,” Orey said. “It is an actual program, with extensive mentorship and community building that is designed to help AnBryce Scholars navigate Law School and get launched on a career path.”

Evan R. Chesler, partner and chairman of Cravath, Swaine & Moore and graduate of NYU Law School, described the networking benefits of the program.

“I am not aware of any scholarship program for law students like AnBryce,” Chesler said. “It is so much more than financial support, particularly access to people who have themselves achieved success in the legal profession and instruction in the kinds of tools needed to be an effective lawyer.”

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, March 21 print edition.  Email Greta Chevance at [email protected].