The McMiller Scholarships
For 20 years, GOLDLAW founder and CEO Craig Goldenfarb, Esq., has made it a priority to give back to Palm Beach County, and West Palm Beach, in particular, to show his appreciation for how the local community has helped the firm grow and succeed. One of the ways GOLDLAW shows its appreciation to the local students and future legal professionals, is through The Emanuel McMiller Scholarship for Higher Education (EMSHE).
The McMiller Scholarship program was created to benefit graduates of The Gerald A. Williams Center for Pre-Law at Palm Breach Lakes Community High School, as they apply and enroll in college and/or law school. The scholarship is dedicated to Emanuel Miller, a former employee of GOLDLAW and student of the Center for Pre-Law, who defied the odds stacked against him to become the first from his family to graduate from college and law school.
“The EMSHE awards ceremony is one of the highlights of the year for me,” Goldenfarb said. Our firm is excited to be able to give back to our community in this way, and provide educational opportunities for some of the brightest young minds in Palm Beach County. It’s an honor to help high achieving students at The Center for Pre-Law, through the McMiller Scholarship program, and GOLDLAW looks forward to continuing this tradition.”
On Friday, May 5, 2023, three top students from the Gerald A Williams Center for Pre-Law took part in the McMiller Scholarship Presentation Ceremony at the GOLDLAW offices. Here’s a look at the winners:
SHIA ROZIER
Shia Rozier will be a first-year student this fall at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University, in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she anticipates graduating in 2027 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.
Currently a senior at the Center for Pre-Law at Palm Beach Lakes Community High School, Shia ranks #2 in her class. She is dual-enrolled at Palm Beach State College.
Shia is active in the Center for Pre-Law, serving as mock trial captain, moot court attorney, Law Club President, Law Honor Society President, and Lead Prosecuting Youth Court Attorney. She is a three-time recipient of the 15th Judicial Circuit’s Mock Trial Best Advocate Award and has also received the Stetson University Best Overall Performance Award. In addition to her pre-law extracurriculars, Shia has served as a cheerleader, student government treasurer, and President of the Best Buddies Chapter. Outside of school, Shia works as an Administrative and Outreach Assistant for the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County.
How Will Winning a McMiller Scholarship Help You as You Begin Your College Studies?
“Not only is being awarded a McMiller Scholarship a huge honor, it will also be a major help for my overall education! The McMiller Scholarship takes care of the out-of-state costs I am faced with. Now I’ll be able to focus 100% on my education and excelling academically.”
Ijahala Pottinger
Ijahala Pottinger will be a 1L this fall at Columbia Law School, where she anticipates graduating in 2026 with a Juris Doctor degree and a Master of Laws degree in International Criminal Law.
Ijahala currently works as a litigation paralegal for the Law Offices of Esfand Nafisi. She previously worked as a senior litigation paralegal for Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP.
Ms. Pottinger graduated from Brown University in 2020 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. While a student at Brown, she was a Brown in Washington Fellow (where she served as an education policy intern for the U.S. Senate HELP Committee), a Minority Peer Counselor, and the Public Relations Chair for the Black Pre-Law Association. She also interned for the Rhode Island Public Defender’s Office and the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
Isahala is an alumnus (Class of 2016) of the Center for Pre-Law, where she graduated as class Valedictorian. While at Palm Beach Lakes High School, she was dual-enrolled at Palm Beach State College and was President of the National Honor Society. Active in the Center for Pre-Law, Ijahala served as mock trial team member, Law Honor Society President and was a three-time recipient of the Center for Pre-Law Gavel Award.
Miriam Vidaurre-Zarate
Miriam Vidaurre-Zarate is currently a student at Palm Beach State College, where she received her Associate’s Degree magna cum laude in 2022. In the Fall of 2023, she will transfer to Florida International University where she anticipates graduating in 2025 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. Miriam is also a 2022 EMSHE Award recipient.
Miriam currently works as a legal assistant at the Teebagy and Medeiros Law Group. She previously worked as a victim/witness coordinator for the State Attorney’s Office – 15th Judicial Circuit, and as an administrative assistant at Matrix Mediation. She has also volunteered as an assistant coach for the Palm Beach Lakes Mock Trial Team.
An alumnus (Class of 2021) of the Center for Pre-Law at Palm Beach Lakes Community High School, Ms. Vidaurre-Zarate graduated in the top 10% of her class and was dual-enrolled at Palm Beach State College. She was active in the Center for Pre-Law, serving as mock trial captain, moot court attorney, Law Club President and Law Honor Society President. A three-time recipient of the Center for Pre-Law Gavel Award, she was a “Think Pink” Committee member, and member of the City of West Palm Beach Mayor’s Youth Council.
Miriam took the LSAT in April 2023 and plans to apply to law schools in 2024.
How Does Winning the McMiller Scholarship for a Second Time Impact Your Future?
“Winning the McMiller Scholarship again is phenomenal! Not only will it help me pay for my undergrad studies at Florida International University, it will also help me pay for and prepare for the LSAT to help me reach my goal of attending law school. My family and I are truly grateful to GOLDLAW for this honor!”
Alumni of the program have graduated from prestigious law schools across the country including Georgetown University Law Center, Notre Dame Law School, University of Florida Levin College of Law, University of Miami Law School, and the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University, just to name a few.
Applications for the 2024 Emanuel McMiller Scholarship for higher Education will open in late December 2023 and close in late February 2024. For more information, visit the EMSHE website.
