New Fellows-Elect from UC Hastings

The Fellowship community is excited to welcome two new Fellows-Elect, first-year law students at UC Hastings College of the Law and members of the class of 2025: Nooran Alhamdan and Julie Mendoza.

Nooran Alhamdan earned a Masters degree in Arab Studies from Georgetown University and a Bachelors in Economics and Political Science from the University of New Hampshire. Nooran is passionate about refugee advocacy, human rights in the Middle East, and transitional justice. She has contributed to these pressing issues through political advocacy, academia, and grassroots organizing. She is the daughter of refugees and will be the first in her family to pursue a law degree. Nooran hopes to use her law degree to defend the rights of displaced people worldwide.

Julie Mendoza is a Bay Area native. She graduated from UC Berkeley in 2017 as a first-generation college graduate studying Psychology and Legal Studies. After graduating with High Distinction, Julie became a 7th grade humanities teacher in East Oakland while simultaneously earning a Masters degree in Education Policy from Loyola Marymount University. As an educator in Oakland, Julie was the faculty advisor to multiple student organizations, served as the Humanities Department Chair, and became a lead organizer for the Oakland Education Association. Julie believes deeply in the power of public education and intends to use her law school education to continue to advocate for underserved students and families in Oakland.