20th Annual Harpole Awards

Chris Sielicky and Holly Martinez ’19 were honored at the 20th Annual Harpole Awards Presentation and Reception in celebration of the life of Joyce Ann Harpole ’79.

The Attorney Award and Memorial Scholarship recognize lawyers and students who have been nominated by their peers for working quietly in pursuit of justice while maintaining a sense of balance between their legal or academic career and their personal life.

According to Sielicky’s peer nominator Rachael Federico ’13, “he is a kind and calm presence with a sparkle of good humor each and every day. He is unwaveringly dedicated to his clients; he patiently listens to our low-income clients who are often facing immediate crises such as illness and loss of life-sustaining resources. His clients trust him, not just because he is experienced, but because he is courteous, professional, and kind.”

Martinez is now a 3L student at the law school. Last year, she was president of the Latino Law Society (LLS), a student representative for the BARBRI Group, and an associate at Perkins Coie LLP.

“When I think of ‘advocate’ I think of Holly,” said Martinez’s peer nominator, Daniela Holgate ’17. “Our first semester of law school she stood up during a racially tense time on campus to support students who had been targeted by racist hate speech/threats, even though it put her in a difficult situation with other students and a professor. She strives to give a voice to minorities on campus and to call out injustice when she sees it.”