Spring 2026 Winner of the Dream Chaser Scholarship

Spring 2026: Malik Washington

Salvado Law Offices is honored to name Malik Washington as the Spring 2026 winner of the Dream Chaser Scholarship. Malik, who is the first man in his family to attend college, is pursuing his legal education at Yale University Law School.

Read Their Essay Here:

As a child, I still remember when my mother and I would spend entire days working in the blazing heat, dragging heavy-duty extension cords, garbage bags, a lawnmower, and a trimmer to cut grass around the neighborhood after my mother’s graveyard shift. In my youth, I could find fun in any activity, especially when it allowed me to escape our cramped D.C. townhome where 10 of us shared rooms and resources. I grew up in one of the most influential cities in the world, but my family was excluded from conversations that dictated their future. I overcame these circumstances and am determined to leverage my lived experience to help end the cycle of poverty, not just for my family, but millions of Americans who continue to struggle for basic necessities.

My mother often chided, “Y’all don’t let anyone know what we got going on,” out of fear we would be stigmatized for our living conditions. When informal jobs slowed down, we endured days with no running water in my home, no heat in the wintertime, and the electricity being cut off for days. We responded by maximizing the resources we had. The microwave heated our water for a comfortable bath before school, $2 dollars at our local laundromat freshened our uniforms, and bins of books helped the time pass. I later recognized our struggle was the result of systemic inequities that plagued my community. While these moments forced me to mature fast in hopes of providing relief for my family, it ingrained in me the importance of maximizing our limited resources.

Against all odds, I went on to do the near impossible for a kid raised by a single mother; I became the first man in my family to go to college. I finished Magna Cum Laude and served as class president my senior year. I did this while working 6:00 am shifts in order to pay for tuition and stepping in as a tutor for my younger sister in her first year of college, while managing my own personal and financial stress. To graduate as a first-generation college student is one of my most important accomplishments because of what it represented for my younger family members. They shuffled through my college textbooks, held my diploma, and saw a reality they could aspire towards. During my Commencement speech, I directly thanked my mother in front of thousands of people. In recognition of these challenges I pursued opportunities to learn policies relevant to marginalized communities.

After graduation, I returned to Washington, D.C. to manage a diverse portfolio for Democratic Whip Dick Durbin. I worked with the technology policy teams on efforts to expand access to broadband and internet access. I learned how limited access can marginalize residents educationally and economically. My constituents often raise fears of being stunted by the cycle of poverty-driven generational trauma. In a time of societal polarization, our most vulnerable demographics are overshadowed. I will dedicate my life’s work to improving the lives of others who, just like my family, are under prioritized in policy discussions. I am excited to learn with my peers and professors on these issues to broaden my understanding and impact.

Prior to this, I worked for the state of Montana, where I helped prepare a report that secured funding to address the crisis of missing and murdered Native American women and girls. I learned how substance abuse and recidivism stunted generations of rural Montanans, much like they did in my own community in D.C. This experience underscored for me how structural inequities manifest differently across regions, but often share common root causes. Seeing parallels between the obstacles faced in Montana and those in my community reinforced my appreciation for the importance of empathy and the ability to understand shared experiences.

My candidacy for the Dream Chaser Scholarship is not just about supporting my journey, but that of the dreamers I will have the privilege of supporting in their pursuit of a legal education. With the Providence College in D.C. Alumni Board, I mentored students from underrepresented backgrounds who also have a dream of public service, a cause I hope to champion throughout my career. By alleviating the financial burden of law school, this scholarship will afford me greater resources as an attorney to continue to support aspiring lawyers from disadvantaged backgrounds. The contributions I will make to the legal field have already begun. I will continue fostering a supportive environment for others to also reach their dreams.