Pitt and Buchanan Ingersoll Name 2003 Diversity Scholarship Winner

PITTSBURGH—The University of Pittsburgh and the law firm of Buchanan Ingersoll have selected Harrisburg native Tony J. Thompson as the 2003 Buchanan Ingersoll/Pitt Diversity Scholarship recipient, providing Thompson with full in-state tuition during his three years at Pitt's School of Law.

Thompson, who has been admitted to the School of Law's Class of 2006, is the second person to receive the award, joining last year's winner, Lea Terlonge, who was admitted to the Class of 2005.

The Buchanan Ingersoll/Pitt Diversity Scholarship—which is being granted to one eligible candidate each academic year—was created to attract outstanding students to Pitt's School of Law and help provide the Pittsburgh legal community with a diverse pool of attorneys.

Thompson, who grew up in his grandmother's house, attributes his academic success to the importance she placed on church and school. "She kept me into my books," said Thompson. "I doubt that I would have made it to this point in my life if it were not for her."

During his junior year at Harrisburg High School, Thompson, looking for an additional challenge, applied to Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) and was accepted as an accelerated high school student in September 1998.

His success at HACC enabled him to earn several scholarships offered at his high school and gain admittance to Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pa. He received the Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Washington and Jefferson in January. He now works for a small personal injury law firm and says that he has gained insight into the legal profession.

"I wish to pursue the law because I view it as a tool by which I may make a change not only in my community but also in the lives of those who also wish to achieve despite the odds," said Thompson.

Buchanan Ingersoll (www.buchananingersoll.com) is one of the 100 largest law firms in the United States. The firm's domestic offices are in the principal cities of Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., New York City, Philadelphia, Princeton, Miami, Harrisburg, Tampa, Washington, and San Diego.

Founded in 1895, Pitt law school's four-fold mission is to prepare new legal talent, serve as a legal scholarship center, provide support and services to the legal profession, and provide expertise and analytical skills to help solve our society's most pressing problems.

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5/9/03kwh

Lori K. Lecker,

Buchanan Ingersoll Professional Corporation

[412-562-3929; leckerlk@bipc.com]