Jose Solis couldn’t be prouder. His daughter, Amelia, is a Florin High School graduate, a successful three-year participant in its California Legal Pathways Collaborative (CLPC) Law Academy, and a freshman at California State University, Sacramento. She is also just one of eight students who received the Ruthe Catolico Ashley “Pathway to Law” Scholarship in 2025. The prestigious honor, first given in 2017, assists aspiring Law Academy students in their educational pursuits. The students must be nominated by their law teachers. Every high schooler is exceptionally deserving, and the scholarship decisions are always difficult.
Ordinarily, it is the students who share their stories about what the achievement signifies for them. However, oftentimes the accolade means even more to their parents and families.
“Oh my God. There was not one dry eye at the ceremony. The lawyer who presented the award spoke so beautifully about my daughter. She flew all the way from New York to attend,” exclaims Solis, whose entire demeanor lights up the moment he begins speaking about Amelia. Solis and his wife adopted Amelia, and her younger sister, as babies. “She was a big blessing for me. She came to us when she was two months old. Now she’s seventeen. She is very determined to get what she wants.”
Ashley Pathway to Law Scholarship recipients
The $1500 Ruthe Catolico Ashley scholarship was sponsored by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) and presented during CLPC’s annual Law Academy Symposium, held at Santa Clara University. Angela Winfield, LSAC Vice President and Chief Impact Officer, gave the Symposium keynote address and recognized the scholarship recipients during an awards and scholarship reception.
Situated in Sacramento, the Florin High School CLPC Law Academy is one of 25 CLPC partnership Academies across the state, impacting 3,100 students annually through education, mentorship, scholarship, and ultimately helping to provide a pathway to a legal career. CLPC was founded by Ashley in 2010 and today is under the umbrella of California Lawyer’s Foundation (CLF), the charitable arm of California Lawyer’s Association (CLA), the largest volunteer Bar association in the state.
Solis speaks candidly as an immigrant from Mexico and waiter at an upscale Italian restaurant located in downtown Sacramento. “In my culture, there are a lot of parents who hold their kids back. Traditional Mexican parents, and especially with their daughters. They stay stuck too much in their tradition. I always tell Amelia, no matter what, I’m going to support you one hundred percent. Be the best at whatever you are doing. You can be the janitor; you can be a waiter like me. But be the best.”
Many Law Academy students are first generation Americans or the first in their families to consider a higher education. Oftentimes, their parents do not have the financial resources to support their children into undergraduate and graduate school. Many are not able to help their children navigate the college application process. However, they stand firmly alongside their children in supporting their goals and dreams.
In addition to her studies, Amelia has a part-time job. Her father says, “She loves to work. We are very proud of where she is right now. She knows what she wants.” He describes the next steps in her educational path as winding, saying he knows there will be ups and downs along the way.
“Nobody says it is going to be easy,” Solis notes, giving some parental advice. “In Mexico, we have a saying. ‘If it’s easy, anybody can do it.’ It isn’t going to be easy, but she will do it.”
To learn more about CLPC and how to support its programs, please visit: https://calawyersfoundation.org/our-work/youth-initiatives/