The Student Humanitarian Network is proud to announce that it was awarded the “Service Trip Leadership Award” by the Chicago-Kent College of Law Public Interest Awards Committee. Accepting on the organization’s behalf was three-time trip attendee and 2019-2020 President Gabriel Lara.

In response to natural disasters Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, law students from across the country formed the Student Hurricane Network (SHN), a then national association dedicated to providing relief to communities devastated by the hurricanes. For the immediate period following Katrina and Rita, the organization was tasked with supporting the communities most devastated thru pro bono legal services.

To aid in this mission, Chicago-Kent established a local chapter of its own. Once the Student Hurricane Network dissolved, students at Chicago-Kent were interested in continuing to provide service to the Greater New Orleans community; thus, the Student Hurricane Network transformed into Student Humanitarian Network.

Ever since, Chicago-Kent students have traveled annually during their winter break to the New Orleans community to provide pro-bono legal services to the indigent population. In recent years, students have volunteered at the Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, the Pro-Bono Project, and the Orleans Public Defenders Office.

The Chicago-Kent students who have attended the annual trip have dedicated so much of their time, knowledge, skills, and abilities, to provide service to “The Big Easy,” and we could not be more honored to have been recognized by Chicago-Kent for their hard work and dedication to altruism.

Thank you, to the Public Interest Awards Committee, and thank you to our hard-working members.