Tulane Law Graduates Honored with Tulane 34 Award

Veronica Catanese and Ruchi Wankhede have received the Tulane 34 Award, one of the University’s highest honors. The award is presented annually to just 34 graduates across all of Tulane’s schools and recognizes students who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, service and academic excellence. 

Veronica Catanese 

Veronica Catanese’s path to law school was shaped by early, hands-on experience in the legal field. After graduating Cum Laude from the University of San Diego in 2020, she spent three years interning at law firms before deciding to embark on her formal legal education. During those internships, she was recognized for contributing the most pro-bono hours, and this commitment to service would follow her to Tulane Law. As a 1L, she served as a clerk for the Tulane University Legal Assistance Program (TULAP), later becoming Assistant Director of the Criminal Program and ultimately director of the organization, where she acted as the primary liaison with university administration. Known for her commitment to mentorship, she also served as a Harris Fellow, guiding first-year students. Catanese’s academic achievements are equally distinguished: she was selected as a junior member of the Tulane Law Review and later served as Notes and Comments Editor for its 100th volume. Her work extended beyond campus as a student attorney in the Immigrant Rights Clinic and as a research assistant to Professor Elizabeth Townsend Gard, where she also managed the professor’s Copyright Journal. She further broadened her legal education through Tulane’s Cambridge Summer Program at Trinity College. Throughout her time at the Law School, she has maintained one of the top academic records in her class. After graduation, she will join Goodwin Procter LLP. 

Ruchi Wankhede 

Ruchi Wankhede’s law school journey reflects a deep commitment to public service and advocacy. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan before making her way to Tulane Law. Here, she built an impressive record of service through the Tulane University Legal Assistance Program, first as a 1L and 2L clerk, and through her involvement with the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, where she served as a 1L representative and later joined the executive board. After receiving a grant from the Tulane Law Public Interest Foundation (PILF), Wankhede worked as a Violence Against Women Act legal intern with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project in Seattle. Her interest in family law was further shaped by a year-long judicial externship with Judge Bernadette D’Souza of the Orleans Parish Civil District Court. She continued this work as a student attorney in Tulane’s Domestic Violence Clinic and as a Harris Fellow mentoring first-year students. A junior member and later Business Editor of the Tulane Journal of International and Comparative Law, Wankhede balanced scholarship with service, completing 376 hours of pro bono work. She also served as a research assistant to Professor Evelyn Atkinson. Following graduation, she will clerk for the Family Court of Delaware before pursuing her goal of becoming an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia. 

Both Catanese and Wankhede exemplify the spirit of Tulane Law through their sustained commitment to leadership, service and academic excellence. Their achievements reflect a shared dedication to using the law as a tool for meaningful impact.