Moriah S. Smoot (’19) has been selected as the 2017 recipient of the Donald W. Banner Diversity Scholarship for law students.
The scholarship, awarded by national intellectual property firm Banner & Witcoff, Ltd., will provide Smoot with $5,000 for her upcoming fall semester of law school. The scholarship is open to all law students who are members of a minority group, including any group traditionally underrepresented in the field of intellectual property law. Recipients must also be enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school, committed to pursuing a career in intellectual property law, and demonstrate leadership qualities and community involvement.
Smoot, who received a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, in materials and metallurgical engineering at The University of Alabama, has always been fascinated with inventions and how things are made. This prestigious scholarship will enable her to further this curiosity.
“The Donald W. Banner Diversity Scholarship will provide me with added financial security as I pursue my goal of becoming a patent attorney,” Smoot said. “Upon completion of my Juris Doctorate degree, I would like to use my knowledge and training in engineering, medicine, and law to directly impact the design of biomaterials, medical devices, and advanced technologies that will be used to improve global health.”
Smoot’s desire to make an impact in this field caused her application to stand out among the rest.
“Banner & Witcoff is thrilled to reward Moriah’s commitment to engineering and the law, and her desire to blend her experience in both of these fields by practicing in intellectual property law,” said Banner & Witcoff President Charles L. Miller. “We wish her continued success in law school and her future career.”
