Class of 2026 graduate awards honor graduates’ dedication to law and beyond
On the eve of Commencement, graduates of Tulane Law School were honored for their commitment to academic excellence and service to their law community and peers and celebrated alongside their family and friends.
Award recipients received honors in a number of specialties and for a variety of achievements in and outside of the classroom, while the highest honors were determined by a vote of the law faculty.
Three graduates received Tulane Law’s most prestigious student honors: Nicole Alvarez Roca was awarded the John Minor Wisdom Award, Alyssa Estepp the General Maurice Hirsch Award, and Jack Hutchins, the student with the highest GPA, earned the Faculty Medal.
Endowed by the prior law clerks of the Honorable John Minor Wisdom (L ’29), the John Minor Wisdom award recognizes a graduate who demonstrates excellence in their academics, writing ability, and service to the community. Nicole Alvarez Roca received the award in recognition of her academic achievements, leadership, and service to the law school. Prior to Tulane, Alvarez Roca worked in Washington, D.C. as a staff member in both the Senate and House of Representatives. Her time at Tulane Law is evident proof of her work ethic: she has served as president of the Federalist Society and as Senior Managing Editor of the Tulane Law Review’s 100th volume. Her work for the Review earned her the Class of 2000 Law Review Reward, which recognized Alvarez Roca as the senior editor who most effectively contributed to the publication's success. She is also among the many senior board members of the Law Review headed to a federal clerkship; she will be clerking for Judge Barry Ashe of the Eastern District of Louisiana and immediately after, for Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.
Alvarez Roca also gave more than 170 hours of pro bono work and was a research assistant to Professor Laila L. Hlass. Alongside the John Minor Wisdom Award, Alvarez Roca received the Civil Studies Award, Order of the Coif, and the James A. Wysocki Trial Advocacy Award. Nicole will be graduating this Saturday summa cum laude—one of the many testaments to her dedication to academics and legal work.
The General Maurice Hirsch Award, endowed by Mrs. Elise Newman Solomon in honor of General Maurice Hirsch, honors a graduate who has contributed dutifully to Tulane Law's community and beyond. Alyssa Estepp has been a dedicated board member of Tulane Law School's Sports Law Society since entering law school, serving as president in her 3L year. During that time, she helped grow Tulane’s nationally recognized sports law competitions and mentorship programs, most notably leading the Tulane International Fútbol Negotiation Competition to double in size and become recognized as a premier negotiation competition in the country.
Estepp has generously helped her peers, serving as a Harris Fellow Mentor, Senior Fellow for Legal Research and Writing, and student facilitator for Tulane’s international Negotiation and Mediation program in Berlin. As a member of Tulane Moot Court’s Alternative Dispute and Resolution Team, she has won championships and honors while coaching future competitors. Estepp serves the community outside of the school as well, assisting with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program and mentoring undergraduate students at both Tulane and her alma mater, the University of Cincinnati.
Jack Hutchins was awarded the Faculty Medal, which is presented to the graduating student who has attained the highest-grade point average during their time at the Law School. He has excelled academically, entrenching himself in the study of business and corporate law, securities regulation, and contract drafting among others. He served as Managing Editor of the Tulane Law Review, and during his time in law school, authored pieces on shareholder agreement laws.
In addition to his academic pursuits, Hutchins is an involved member of the Tulane Law community, serving as President and Networking Chair of the Business Law Society, Inaugural Treasurer of the Real Estate Law Society, Senior Associate Director of the VITA clinic, and a Harris Fellow, mentoring his colleagues. He has proven to be a natural mentor, helping students navigate the legal recruiting process through networking opportunities and programming, leaving his mark in the Business Law Society. After graduation, Hutchins will head to the Delaware Supreme Court to clerk for Chief Justice Collins J. Seitz Jr.
The following is a list of the awards conferred:
Association of Corporate Counsel - LA Chapter - Corporate and Business Law Excellence Award
Sarah Shield, 2025 recipient
Federal Bar Association Award
Ezekiel Millrood
Jackson-Ryan Pro Bono Advocate Award
Kalyna Blevins
Jupiter Contreras
Leielani Ealey
Jillian Jackson
Hope Melton
Ruchi Wankhede
Judge John R. Brown Award in Maritime Law
Kendra Wilson Bonin
King Freedom and Justice Award
Jillian Jackson
Daevon Adams
LLM Academic Excellence Award
Morgan McGill
Max Nathan Award
Alejandra Rodríguez
Aleksei Demchenko
John Kimbro
Alonso Muñiz Cortés
Order of the Barristers
Anjoli Bahle-Russell
Haley Dykstra
Selin Ferhangil
Vanessa Glomo
Scarlett Holton
Brijan Kana
Sophia Ella Kapoor
Robert Morrison III
Jayla Pruitt
Mia Tolin
Order of the Coif
Nicole Alvarez Roca
Miles Besson
Veronica Catanese
Thomas Celles
Taylor Chozick
Sally Driscoll
Abigail Hufft
Jack Hutchins
Kayla Kilgore
Edward Kotula
Lilly Laubenthal
Alex Meehan
Ezekiel Millrood
Evelyn Reece
Christine Sharkey
Sarah Shield
Bridgette Valenti
Dexter Webster
The Brian McSherry Community Service Award
Thomas Celles
The Civil Law Studies Award
Nicole Alvarez Roca
The Clinical Legal Education Outstanding Clinical Student Award
Ezekiel Millrood
The Clinical Legal Education Outstanding Externship Student Award
Finley Kincaid
The Dean’s Medal
Nicole Hamidi
Abigail Hufft
Jack Hutchins
Christine Sharkey
Bridgette Valenti
The Edward A. Dodd Jr. Award in Admiralty
Isil Bala
The Faculty Medal
Jack Hutchins
The General Maurice Hirsch Award
Alyssa Estepp
The George Dewey Nelson Memorial Award
Edward Kotula
The Haber Joseph McCarthy Environmental Law Award
Kiley Maher
The James A. Wysocki Trial Advocacy Awards
Nicole Alvarez Roca, Spring 2026
Taylor Campbell Chozick, Spring 2025
Vanessa Glomo, Fall 2024
The John Minor Wisdom Award
Nicole Alvarez Roca
The Joseph A. Ettinger Award
Civil Track
Sally Driscoll, 2026 recipient
Caitlin Phillips, 2025 recipient
Criminal Track
Antonio Paternoster, 2026 recipient
Eric Shea, 2025 recipient
The Louisiana State Bar Association Corporate and Business Law Excellence Award
Kayla Kilgore
Moot Court Chief Justice
Cameron Pyne
Student Bar Association President Award
Joseph Lawrence Berman, 2025 recipient
Sally Wilkerson, 2026 recipient
The Tulane 34 Award
Veronica Catanese
Ruchi Wankhede
The Tulane Tax Institute Award in Taxation
Thomas Celles
You can view photos from the ceremony here.
